


Burst ~ Haikyuu x Reader [BNHA Au]

by PirateQueenD



Category: haikyuu
Genre: Burst - Freeform, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 71
Words: 278,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24426280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PirateQueenD/pseuds/PirateQueenD
Summary: Never thought of being a Hero. Sure you've had the occasional thought, 'Heroes are cool wish I could be one.' Has crossed your mind, but that's always what it was. A thought. But now your middle school life is coming to a close and those thoughts have been running your dreams. Maybe... You can be a hero. You can at least try though. Your best friend supports the idea too! Though, something keeps coming to his eyes when you talk about it... What could that be about?
Relationships: Haikyuu!! Ensemble & Reader
Comments: 10
Kudos: 49





	1. Lets Try

The shadows scatter away with each step you take, looking ahead you could hear the voices whispering, but the words were muffled. You had to find the villain fast. Had to stop them. You hurry forward, the shadows shifting aggressively around you in response. 

'Hurry, hurry.' 

Something leaps up in front of you and you jerk awake, right hand pressing down on your desk and making it burst into a cloud of particles. You gasp and tumble forward, clenching your right hand into a fist. Laughter erupts around you and you frown to yourself in embarrassment.

"Again ___?" The teacher questions with a disapproving tone. You stand up keeping your gaze down. 

"S-Sorry sir." You manage. 

"This year is almost over, can't you last until then without destroying school property?" He sighs shaking his head. "Alright, you know where the replacements are, go on." He shoos you out so he can continue class. 

That's right in a week the final exams will take place and after that the entrance exams for the high schools will take place. You had originally planned to go to an average high school, but lately your dreams have been whispering for you to try a Hero school. Raizu High wasn't a top hero school, but it was good enough for you. 

You stop in the supply room, putting your left hand on the desk before picking it up with both hands. You start back to the classroom, pausing as the bell rings. 'Ah… Today's over already…' 

Some of your classmates as you pass them with the desk. You ignore them, frowning slightly. Who were you kidding? You? A hero? You couldn't even keep your desks safe from destruction.

"You look like your thoughts are not going in a good direction." A hum sounds and you look over at the redhead as he leans to peer at your face. You meet his curious gaze before looking away with a huff. 

"I don't even know where my thoughts are going anymore." You grumble.

"Oh? What's on your mind ___?" He smiles. You glance between him and the desk.

"I.. How's high school Tendo?" You ask him as you near the classroom.

"I like it, they have a lot more to offer and I get sent on tasks to other schools so I can come check on you often." Tendo says in thought. "Are you asking about high school because you have an idea about where you wanna go?"

"Raizu. I was thinking Raizu." You murmur as you enter the classroom.

"... Eh? A hero school?" Tendo manages in clear surprise. "What made you think of that?"

"I don't know." You frown, pausing as someone shifts nearby. You look at your classmate as he gives you both an uneasy glare.

"You're blocking the doorway…" He informs when you freeze.

"Ah… Sorry Sakusa." You hastily move out of the way so he can get by and leave without another word.

"I keep forgetting that guy's in your class…" Tendo mutters. 

"I forget sometimes too.." You set the desk down, pausing when you look at your books and belongings piled up neatly in your chair. "Huh? Who did that?" You ask.

"One of your classmates probably, why do you look confused?" Tendo shakes his head.

"Because you're the only one that's nice to me." You murmur, opening your desk to put everything inside. 

"... Hm… Well, I don't think anyone dislikes you ___… Maybe your quirk just scares them." He points out with a head tilt. You look at your right hand quietly at that. "I mean… It scares you sometimes too, no?" He adds lightly, taking out a black glove, slipping it over your hand. "There you go. That should last you another hour." He smiles. "Now lets go, the new Jump is out today."

"Alright. Thanks Tendo." You breathe following him out. 

×*×*×*×*×

'So, are you nervous?'

"Of course I am, I don't have a backup plan Tendo." You grumble with a frown, looking about the train uneasily. You were currently heading to your entrance exam. You had ended up calling Tendo in hopes of calming your nerves.

'I knew it. But don't worry, today I'll be your hero.' He hums and you can imagine him smiling happy. 

"That's… Kind of a weird statement coming from you." You comment as the train stops and you are pretty much swept out with the crowd. You nearly fall over but someone catches your waist.

"Its a good thing I'm only saying it once then." Your savior chuckles as you pause and look up at Tendo.

"Tendo. What are you doing here…?" You blink, taking a step back in confusion.

"I'm not sure, I woke up really early and remembered today you were doing the exam here…" He looks toward the school briefly before looking at you again. "So I came here to wish you luck! Oh! And I got you some breakfast because I know you forgot to eat." He chimes, holding up a paper bag. 

"... You are my hero today." You smile as he opens the bag for you to reach in and pick out a breakfast sandwich. Tendo chuckles, smiling to himself. 

"Told you…" He breathes as you both start for the school, you start to eat as he peers at you briefly. "Gonna be a hero huh… Never saw that coming. And I have a quirk that can see ahead…" He shakes his head. 

"You think I can do it..?" You ask lightly. 

"Nope. I know you can." He says looking ahead. "You're going to be alright." You look at him and smile a bit. That coming from Tendo was high praise. 

"Alright then…" You lean on him, relaxing a bit. You finish your sandwich as you reach the school, taking in a deep breath, nervousness bubbling back up. 

"Not a lot of people here- oh! Sakusa!" Tendo calls cheerfully, pulling you along as he approaches the other guy. "Look ___, Sakusa is taking the test too! So you don't gotta worry, You're not alone." He nudges you forward as Sakusa stops to look at both of you. 

"Ah… Um, Good morning…" You greet awkwardly. He blinks at you before checking his watch.

"Good morning. We have five minutes so compose yourself." He says before walking on. You and Tendo watch his back.

"He greeted me…" You mutter.

"That was a surprise. I didn't see him as a Hero type… Curious.." Tendo puts a knuckle to his chin. "Anyway, go on. I'll be in this area for a while. Have fun." He waves you on. You nod and hastily follow after Sakusa, peering about uneasily. As you both enter the building, your foot catches the door frame and you fall forward, reaching out your right hand without thinking, fingertips grazing Sakusa's hoodie making it burst into particles. You tense, swiftly clenching your hand into a fist. He catches your wrist and pulls you back from your fall. 

"You." His voice comes out in a low hiss. "I told you to compose yourself." He glares at you, unease reflecting in his dark eyes. He lets go of your wrist. "Get away from me." He says moving away as he digs into his backpack to pull out a long sleeved shirt.

"I-I'm sorry Sakusa." You manage shaking slightly. This was a bad idea after all, maybe you should just leave. You look to the exit carefully, debating. 

"Its fine. Are you hurt..?" His voice knocks you from your thoughts, the edge in his voice was gone again, making you look back at him as he adjusts the sleeves of his replacement jacket.

"I- no I'm okay… Are you…?"

"No. Now come on, lets get a seat before more people contaminate this place." He murmurs, tilting his head to the testing room, not moving to go ahead.

"Ah… R-Right." You glance at the exit before moving to the testing room, Sakusa following after you. 

After the written exam, the participants are taken to a large heroic testing site. The test was to gain points by saving decoys or be destroying the android enemies. You swallow, hanging at the back of the crowd with Sakusa. 

"Ah… I'm so nervous." You breathe, looking at your right hand, the special glove you were to lessen your quirk's strength was steadily breaking apart like it was turning to dust. The fact that you could see it happening meant that your quirk was a bit hyperactive because of your emotional state. "That's not good…" 

"Then you should focus on the androids. You'll be fine once you get started." Sakusa says looking ahead.

"So you're going to be rescuing?" You ask looking to him.

"My toxins won't affect them efficiently enough. So yes, rescuing is what I can do right now." He nods.

"Then… Lets team up. I can't rescue any one. But I can cover you." You breathe, taking off what was left of the glove.

"... Alright." He glances at you as the whistle sounds. The crowd disperses immediately and you run for a nearby building with Sakusa, androids run onto the streets, two spotting you both and charging before you reach the door. You glance at Sakusa before bursting forward, right hand finding an android's chest, making it's chest burst into particles. The other android swings at you but you manage to dodge it, touching it's arm to make it burst. You steady your footing, hand reaching it's chest and eliminating it. 

Letting out a breath you feel yourself finally relax and look toward the door as Sakusa comes out with a decoy, giving you a nod before taking it to a nearby safe zone before you both move for the next one. 

Ten androids for you, seven decoys rescued for Sakusa. You didn't know what the point system for it was, it was never explained. But you guessed rescuing was worth more because it had more steps to it than taking out the androids. However the androids were getting bigger and faster the longer the exam went on. 

"___." Sakusa says suddenly, knocking you out of the way as an android leaps down from a rooftop. You tumble but swiftly get back up, right arm plunging through it's head. It falls but the shaking ground catches your attention.

"We need to hurry out of this area Sakusa. Go check that building quickly." You tell him pointing behind him.

"Keep your head on a swivel." He responds, running inside. You glance about, now keeping an eye on the rooftops as well. The tremor grows stronger and you look over as a massive android peers around the the corner of a nearby building. It's head was just above the third story window. 

"Ah…" Your voice seems to shrink back into a full at sight of it and you take a step back, which makes it suddenly look at you. Panic rushes through your veins and it feels like your body has gone cold. 'what do I do? Can I fight that?' You wonder worriedly. It's head jerks slightly, something else getting its attention. Following it's gaze you find that Sakusa had just left the building with another decoy. 

Sakusa's eyes widen at sight of it before he looks to you in alarm. You blink, the panic washing away as an objective presents itself. "Go Sakusa! I got this!" You shout, running for the android. No plan, just an objective. Cover Sakusa, just like you said you would. He hadn't hesitated before so you knew he was already on the move as the android locked on you now. You can't reach the head so the legs will have to do.

It leans over, long arm slicing the ground as it moves to hit you. Quickly holding out your right arm to meet it, you're momentarily blinded be the dark particle cloud, barely dodging the rest of the androids arm as it sweeps over your head, scraping against your head. You grit your teeth leaping forward as the other arm swings by. You reach your right hand out, grabbing one of the legs and making it burst. The android falls toward you then, covering you in a shadow. 

'Uh oh.' Yoh think, trying to get up and out of the way. You're swept up by a pair of arms and look to meet a grinning face. 

"Hey hey hey! You're safe now!" He declares happily. 

"Ah… Thanks." You manage and pause when you realize you were soaring through the air. He tilts his large gray, white and black speckled wings, circling back to set you on the ground not far from the large android. 

"No problem miss, that's what a hero does." He grins, putting his fists on his hips and looking up and away in a dramatic fashion that made you want to chuckle. 

"Thanks for being a hero then." You smile before looking around for Sakusa. "I need to get back to my friend now." You tell him giving a wave before taking off.

"Ah! But…." His shoulders droop as you leave earshot. "I didn't get to introduce myself…" 

You turn the corner, nearly colliding with Sakusa. "Oh good! Did you get it to the safe zone?"

"Yes. Did you win?" He tilts his head looking at the side of your face.

"Yeah. What're you looking at?" You ask, looking over your shoulder.

"You're bleeding. Did you hit your head?" He shuffles through his pants pockets, pulling out a small first aid kit.

"Eh? It only grazed me- oh…" You touch where you had been grazed finding part of your head wet. 

"Stay still." He says spraying your wound when you take your hand away. "But also watch my back." He adds starting to wrap up your head. "Are you dizzy at all?" 

"No, didn't even know I got hurt. Must be the adrenaline." You breathe, tensing slightly as there's a trimmer. "Another one already?"

"We'll leave this area, I saw some other buildings further down that way that probably haven't been cleared." He says briskly finishing up. "There. Lets move." He adds moving on quickly. 

"Right." You follow after him again, peering about as you near some other buildings, nearly running into someone as they come out. The blond pauses, gold cat-like eyes shifting between you and Sakusa. 

"There's one more in this building on the third floor, and two in the building there." He manages, looking away to take the dummy away. Sakusa hesitates for a moment before looking at you. 

"Go I got this." You give a nod. He nods and rushes in. You peer around the block, vision slightly fuzzy when your eyes moved too fast. 

"Oh. You're not looking too hot." Someone comments from your blind spot and you quickly look to see a taller guy with black hair and dark eyes. "There's a medic nearby, I'll go-" He breaks off, looking behind him as a fast moving android zips around the corner, blades coming out as it charges you two. "Uh oh." 

"I got it." You breathe stepping forward and raising your right hand. He hums, staying put and watching you. The android moves to swing one of it's blades at you. Maybe it was adrenaline or the blood loss but you could clearly see the path of the blade. Jumping and flipping over the blade, you calmly reach out and touch it's arm, making it dissolve. It's gaze locks on you as you look to the head, kicking off the ground and grabbing it's head, making the layers burst as your hand meets each. 

"Wow, that's quite a quirk you got there… Are you okay?" He asks when you stagger. 

"Feels… Fuzzy.." You slur, looking at your right hand. It looked a bit fuzzy to. You grab it with your left hand and it returns to normal. "Nevermind."

"... Okay…" He frowns slightly before looking over as Sakusa comes out with a dummy. "Hey, take this one to the safe zone too, I need to get a medic." He tells Sakusa, pointing to you.

"Alright. Come on," Sakusa says, nudging you with the dummy's arm.

"Kay." You breathe going along with him as he moves briskly.

"Ten minutes left." Sakusa comments when you both reach the safe zone. "I'm going to that building over there. Don't move until you're healed." He adds before moving on.

"Careful." You hum after him. 

After a few moments a beautiful raven haired woman rushes up. "I'm Shimizu Kiyoko, I'm going to heal you." She breathes before hugging your head. 

"U-Uh… Okay…" You manage in surprise, blushing lightly. The air around her starts to glow and sparkle. The throb in your head steadily fading as your vision sharpens again. "Thank you." You say when she lets go.

"Eight minutes left. Good luck." She nods. 

"Right thanks again." You tell her before running for the building Sakusa had motioned to. Before you reach it, two small shapes burst out of the other building. You blink in surprise, pausing at sight of the two foxes, one grey, one red. "Why are foxes running around here?"

The red fox seemed to have a hurt leg, and the grey one nipped at him anxiously as everything starts to shake. Something makes you run toward them as a giant android crashes through the building they had left. You reach them, hitting your knees and scooping up the red fox with your left arm. 'Not fast enough.' You realize as darkness comes over you. Swiftly bringing up your right arm you feel metal smack into it but bursts. "Stay close little fox." You say after hearing the grey one let out a slight bark. The particle cloud was dark and dense, for a moment you couldn't see anything. You wave your right arm to clear the particles, finding yourself in the center of the android's chest. You look down at the grey fox before kneeling down.

"Good, you don't look hurt." You smile a bit. "Come on, lets get your buddy here healed." You add before clearing the way out of the android, getting out as Shimizu runs up. "I'm okay, but can you heal this guy?" You request, passing her the fox.

"Oh sure. Be careful." She tells you as you take off to find Sakusa again. You spot him going around the downed giant, looking at it warily as he carries two decoys. 

"Sakusa!" You wave to get his attention before joining him. 

"You do that?" He inquires, tilting his head toward the android.

"Yep. There were some cute little foxes running around that it nearly squashed so…" You smile a bit to yourself.

"Foxes…" He echoes, eyes narrowing briefly before he checks his watch. "Five minutes." He breathes before you two pick up the pace, dropping off the decoys. A large tremor makes you both stagger a bit and look at each other. At the center of the arena a colossal android appears, towering over the buildings intimidatingly. "Looks like the final boss… You going?" 

"Well, anyone that takes that thing down would be guaranteed entrance…" You look at your right hand before clenching it. "Worth a shot. You should check out the furthest buildings. That'll be safest."

"Alright… Good luck." He nods heading off as you run for the threat. Two others join your sides and you all peer at eachother. One was a shorter guy with dark hair and a tuft of blond in the front. The other had a monk cut and his arms were currently covered in reddish black scales.

"Going for the big guy two huh?" You guess.

"Yep! Hey Ryuu!" The shorter guy waves to the monk cut.

"Hey Nishinoya! This test is awesome." Monk cut laughs.

"So what's your quirk?" Nishinoya glances at the android before looking at you.

"Its called burst. Whatever I touch with my right hand bursts into particles, but that thing is big so I don't know what good it'll do." You admit, looking up at the android.

"Sounds like you need to aim for the head… I can get ya up there." Nishinoya gives a thumbs up.

"Eh? You sure?" You huff in surprise.

"It'll be fine. I'll go up with you. Sis says they take into account teamwork too." Ryuu gives you a thumbs up as well.

"Really? Okay." You smile more. You all come within range of the Android, Nishinoya moves ahead, a cyclone leaving his back and turning into a wind deity.

"Here we go!" Nishinoya chimes as the deity grabs you and Ryuu, tossing you up at android's head. 

"RAAHHH!" Ryuu roars, dragon claws coming out as you both reach the head. You swing out with your right arm, turning part of the head into particles. Ryuu's claws tear gashes into the other side. You both land on the androids shoulders. Your stomach sinks as you glance downward. 

'Im so high up here… Scary…' You think as Ryuu claws at the neck.

"It's still moving! Don't stop now!" He calls to you. 

"Right!" You manage, hand taking out part of the neck. The giant head rocks, falling toward you but Ryuu swiftly slashes through the rest of the neck, making the head tumble off.

"Yeah! We won!" Ryuu throws up his arms victoriously. You grin but the android starts to rock. "...It's gonna fall! We gotta destroy it!"

"How!? My quirk can't take out the whole thing!" You gasp in alarm. You both look at each other lost for a moment.

"We still gotta try!" He gasps. You look around at the body and everything below.

"We'll manipulate it's fall path then! Over there looks safe!" You point behind the android at a few empty lots.

"Good idea. But we gotta make sure we don't crush anyone-" Ryuu breaks off, looking behind you. Something comes over your ear and you tense, pausing as the winged guy from earlier glides by, passing something to Ryuu.

"There you'll be able to talk to people on the ground now." He grins. You blink and touch the earpiece over your ear.

"Hello?"

' This is Akaashi, do you have a plan?'

"The safest place for the android to fall is backwards. Can you make sure its clear to do so?" You ask as the android starts to rock again, a bright spark bursting from the neck making the three of you jump.

'Hold on.' Akaashi responds before going silent.

"The arm's moving!" Ryuu points making you look over as the arm lifts up. 

"Its probably malfunctioning." You say, crouching a bit as the shoulder jerks. "Akaashi, its getting worse up here!"

'We're getting a few others out of the way. Just remain calm.' He responds. 

"Isn't time up yet?" Ryuu scoffs, jerking when the neck sparks again. 

"Listen Ryuu, once we get the clear I'm going to go down the front and take the weight from there, it should get it to fall back. You should go down that arm and get off while you can." You tell him.

"Wait-wait-wait… You're going to FALL?!" He gasps.

"It'll be fine. The owl guy circling us will probably catch me." You assure.

"Talk about a leap of faith." Ryuu huffs.

'You're clear.' Akaashi's voice sounds and you meet Ryuu's gaze. He gives a nod and runs down the arm you had indicated. You swallow and jump toward the androids chest, right hand carving through the chest, making a large gash, the android rocks back and falls away from your hand. A moment later you're caught in the air.

"Hey hey hey! That's twice today!" He chimes.

"You're amazing and I'm so lucky you were here today." You manage, trying to pull your soul back in.

"Hey you okay?" He asks landing with you. 

"Yeah. Just did something incredibly scary don't mind me." You say, sinking to the ground as you're set down and a siren sounds, concluding the test. 

Leaving the school you feel relief crash over you and slump forward. "I can't believe that was a test…"

"It was extreme." Sakusa agrees. You look to him as he adjusts his mask. He meets your gaze as you straighten up. "What?"

"Wish I could've seen you fight…" You hum before looking around. You spot Tendo coming up and smile, waving at him. "See you later Sakusa. I'm sure we'll get into the same class again…" You add before going to greet Tendo, giving him a hug.

"That's a heavy sigh, the test was that stressful?" He chuckles.

"I'll tell you all about it over lunch."


	2. Settling In

"So they have mixed dorms? What a weird school." Tendo hums as you pack. "But I guess that's because it's so small and doesn't have many students…" 

"Maybe… But I think that means I'll get my own room too." You comment.

"Probably… If I had known that you'd take this route, I would've applied for Raizu too. I wouldn't mind seeing you more…" He hums, holding something up. You look over to see he had picked out one of your undergarments. 

"Tendo!" You scold, taking it away and making him chuckle.

"Think you'll finally get something to keep your hand from eating through everything?" He asks with a head tilt. You look at the glove on your right hand.

"Maybe. But I doubt their tech is as great as Kuri Academy…" You tilt your head. Kuri was the school Tendo attended, it is an elite high school and it was currently trying to convert into a hero school as well. 

"True… But even the unpopular schools can make something good." He hums looking at your ceiling and humming. "I'm going to miss this room.."

"It's not like we're never going to come back here Tendo. Stop making it seem like I'm going away. Raizu is closer to Kuri than my middle school. Maybe you'll get more tasks and stop in to see me." You smile.

"... That's true." He lights up suddenly. "So I'll walk with you to Raizu tomorrow and tell you when I'm in the area." He decides.

"Sounds good- Would ya stop going through my things!?"

"Huhu. I found a diary~"

"Tendo!"

*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/

"You're nervous again." Tendo teases as you near the school.

"This is the second glove today." You hold up your right hand as the glove steadily dissolves. 

"... You really need to relax then… Lets see… Ah, Sakusa! Over here!" He calls cheerfully, pulling you along by the arm.

' Deja vu…' You think as you reach the other guy, he had many bags and seemed unhappy about Tendo calling to him so loudly.

"Hey! You got in too huh? What dorm are you in? ___ got Dorm One, second floor." Tendo greets.

"... Me too." Sakusa peers at you. "Compose yourself." He adds, looking at your glove. You blink and peer at it as the last of the glove disappears.

"It's okay, I'm fully stocked." You assure, putting on another glove. "Are you nervous too?" You ask. He meets your gaze.

".... I advise you to keep a two foot distance…" He recommends lightly. 

"Oh…" You blink and chuckle a bit. "I'll try."

"Hey ___!" Another voice chimes, making you look over as Nishinoya and Ryuu come up. "What Dorm are you in?" Nishinoya asks.

"Dorm One." You answer and they both grin.

"Looks like we'll be dormmates then! Let's go." Ryuu rumbles moving ahead.

"Oh okay. See you Tendo! Thanks for coming to see me off." You tell him, turning to him with a relaxed smile. He returns the smile, taking your right hand in his and making you tense up.

"I'll see you soon as I can. Message me when you get settled in." He says without letting go of your hand. You shift and carefully grip his hand in return. "See you later." He says, releasing your hand and heading off.

It seemed to be a profound gesture whenever he purposefully took your right hand, but a lot of the time it's meaning escaped you. However this time he seemed to tell you that it was going to be just fine. Even with your quirk. 

"Come on ___," Nishinoya nudges you.

"Right. Let's go."

"Welcome first years of Dorm One! I'm the Dorm President, Tooru Oikawa." The dorm President greets once everyone is gathered in the main living area. "Now, in case you're wondering, this dorm also has second years. The school is putting us all together in hopes of the second years being coaches and mentors to you first years. In fact the exam you just took had second years in the mix to help you out and keep you all safe. By the way we did a great job although some of you were determined to jump into danger." He tilts his head, brown eyes boring into you. You straighten and look away quickly.

'Was I that bad!?' You worry uneasily.

"Anyway, you're free to go now. The daily schedule and those responsible for dinners are posted there, make sure you check it often. Also just so you know I will be doing random inspections whenever I feel like it so be on your best behavior." Oikawa finishes, clapping his hands together.

"Hey hey! ___! We're on cooking duty tomorrow night!" A familiar chipper voice chimes, an arm coming around your shoulders. You look over and smile when you see the owl guy from the exam. He had introduced himself at the end of it.

"Hey Bokuto, good to see you." You hum before his words register. "Eh? Tomorrow?" You blink and go to the cooking duty calendar with him. "Oh… Well, that's cool looks like we're teamed up a few more times for it."

"That's… Not necessarily something to be happy about." Another voice comments. 

"Shut up Kuroo!" Bokuto huffs at the raven haired guy. 

"Oh, I remember you." You recognize. "Thanks for getting me the medic back in the exam."

"No problem. Good to see you without blood all over the side of your face." He greets. 

"By the way I didn't see you guys at the orientation. Are you… My senpai?" You ask looking between them.

"Yep!" Bokuto grins.

"That's right." Kuroo nods. 

"Alright. Good to know." You smile nodding.

"Go situate your room, you first years are excused from class today, we got leftovers in the fridge if you get hungry and dinner is supposed to be ready at seven." Kuroo tells you.

"Right. See you later." You wave as you head up to the second floor, meeting Sakusa on the stairs. "This seems like it's going to be fun." You smile.

"... Seems annoying to me… Too crowded…" He grumbles. 

"I did notice you in the corner. But hey that's usually how it is in the beginning, right?" You point out with a shrug.

"True.." He murmurs and you reach the second floor. "Number?" He looks at you. 

"Seventeen, you?" 

"Twenty." He informs.

"Sixteen."

"Eighteen."

You both pause and look back as a pair of twins blink back at you, the blond smiling thoughtfully, whilst the grey haired twin holds up a hand in greeting. 

"Oh. Hello neighbors…" You greet. 

"Hello. I'm Atsumu," The blond offers his hand.

"I'm Osamu." The other twin says. 

"Nice to meet you, I'm ___, and this is Sakusa. Don't touch him." You say as you take Atsumu's hand, shaking it slightly.

"Ah. You're possessive of him, huh." Atsumu guesses, tilting his head with a smile. You pause in surprised confusion at that. 

"Huh?"

"No. I sweat toxins so touching me is just a bad idea." Sakusa informs him, a slight hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Oh, I just assumed because you two were together during the exam, and when you came onto campus." Atsumu says lightly.

"It's natural to stay near a familiar face in an unknown environment." Sakusa responds. 

"That's true." Atsumu nods before peering at you thoughtfully. "See you later then, neighbor." He adds, going past. His twin gives him a look as he follows after him. You and Sakusa exchange a glance before moving on to your own rooms and going in to unpack. 

As you're finishing up, you hear a scratching at your door and pause, going over and opening to see a familiar red fox. "... Oh, hey little guy. You leave someone's room?" You murmur, opening the door for it to come and go. The fox comes in, peering about before hopping onto your bed and sitting down.

'Maybe someone here talks to foxes and they gather information for them?' You wonder as you situate your shelf. 'Wish I had a quirk like that, sounds cool….' You think before peering at the fox as it watches you with a head tilt.

"You're so cute." You murmur going to it and carefully scratching behind its ears. It's bushy tails swishes at that. "Foxes are so adorable…" You gush.

"___…" Sakusa's voice makes you freeze and look over as he pauses, glaring at the fox.

"Hey Sakusa, isn't this guy cute?" You smile. He looks at you and sighs, closing his eyes briefly as he puts on a pair of gloves.

"No." He responds, picking it up by the scruff of the neck and putting it out the room before closing the door. "Be more wary. And don't let random animals in your room… You never know what kind of disease one is carrying." He says seriously. 

"O-Okay… but-" You break off as the intense air around him seems to grow. 

"Don't. Let. It. In. Your. Room. Again." He glares.

"Alright alright… So, are you done with your room?" You ask as he relaxes and glances around.

"Yes. If you're done, we can go get lunch." He says before turning to go back out.

"I'm done. Lets go." You breathe as your stomach growls. You both head down the hall at that, starting for the doors. "Can I see your room?"

"... Why?" He gives you a questioning glance.

"It's fair. You saw mine." You point out.

"Sure why not." He mumbles, as you start down the stairs. 

"So what are you thinking of making?" You ask him.

"This…" He pulls up a recipe on his phone to show you. "It's well balanced." He says as you look it over.

"Alright looks good." You nod thoughtfully. He puts his phone back in his pocket. He peers at you as you look ahead, stomach growling a bit. 

"You skipped breakfast didn't you?" He guesses.

"No… Tendo brought me a muffin." You avoid his gaze.

"At least one of you was thinking." He comments. 

"I was thinking." You scoff.

"About the wrong things probably." He guesses.

"What-" You look at him with a confused frown.

"What you need to do for yourself should come first. Or you'll end up sick or injured at a bad time." He states simply before giving you a look. 

"... Okay I get it." You look away as you reach the kitchen. "So what do we need for this?" You ask, putting on the gloves he passes you. He props his phone up against the wall so you both can look over the ingredients before moving to gather them. "Looks like we got everything." You hum. "Should we make a lot?"

"Why? Do you eat a lot?" He responds.

"Only if it's really good... I meant for the others." You tell him.

"... Let's follow the recipe and see where that leaves us." He answers. You nod and both of you get to work. 

"... There's a lot more than I thought there would be." You murmur taking some to eat as Sakusa does the same. 

"I had a feeling there would be." He says, both of you turn to sit at the high bar but pause to find you had an audience.

"That means we get some too right?" Nishinoya asks.

"That looks great guys." Ryuu comments.

"You two sure are close, making food together and all…" Atsumu smiles.

"I wanted to try that recipe, send it to me please." Osamu requests from Sakusa. You and Sakusa blink at them before exchanging a glance.

"Uh… Go ahead but there's not much left." You tell the guys as Sakusa shakes his head at Osamu. Seemed crowded in the kitchen suddenly so you and Sakusa move to the common room, sitting at a table. "When did they come into the kitchen?" You murmur.

"A few minutes after we started to make it." He responds. "I felt them staring." He adds taking off his face mask. You pause as you glance at him, spotting a pair of fangs poking out. This was the first time you've seen him without his mask on. "Stop staring…"

"Sorry, didn't know you had fangs." You murmur focusing on your food.

"I do, I have to extract venom from them daily." He tells you, starting to eat. 

"Really? Everything about you is dangerous…" You comment.

"You're not wrong. Even my blood can release a deadly gas." He says. 

"Wow…" Was all you could say. Must suck, having to be careful about everything. Then again he also seemed to be a germaphobe so maybe this suited him.

"You're staring again." He informs.

"Ah, sorry, I wasn't paying attention." You breathe looking down at your plate. 

"Mhmm." A hum sounds as Atsumu and Osamu sit at the table. 

"This is good you two make a good team." Atsumu comments, his tone slightly teasing. You and Sakusa share a glance at that, Sakusa fixing Atsumu with a glare after that.

"You keep implying something." Sakusa comments. 

"Does sound like it…" You frown lightly. 

"I'm only commenting on what I'm observing." Atsumu smiles.

"That's not necessary." Sakusa breathes.

"You're paying a lot of attention to us." You state. His eyes narrow briefly and he looks away.

"Just curious." He hums. "Out of everyone here… You two don't seem suited to be heroes…" He says lowly, brown eyes meeting your gaze.

"Wow. You're rude. Did you get your manners from a cereal box?" You huff, slightly offended though you also agreed on the part about you. 

"That was pretty uncalled for Atsumu." Osamu says.

"I don't care what you think. I'm going to be a hero either way." Sakusa says, unphased as he eats his food.

"Didn't see you fighting in the exam though." Atsumu hums. Sakusa sends him a glare but doesn't respond so Atsumu carries on. "If you can save people but can't fight enemies then you're a pretty useless hero if you ask me." He shrugs. 

"But no one asked you." Sakusa responds bluntly.

"He must like to hear himself talk." You nod.

"He does." Osamu confirms.

"Shut it." Atsumu grumbles to his twin, focusing on eating. You finish and stand up, offering to take Sakusa's plate. 

"We still have a few hours before curfew right?" You ask as Sakusa places his plate on yours. 

"Three hours to be exact." He informs.

"Kuri Academy is only thirty minutes away so I think I'm going to go see Tendo." You murmur as you head to the kitchen. 

"Kuri is a private school. You won't be able to go onto campus." Sakusa says following along to wash his hands.

"That's fine." You breathe. After you wash the dishes, you message Tendo to make sure he was available.

'Sure! Meet me in front of the academy! I want to get the new Shonen Jump.' Is the response you get.

"Alright. I'm heading out then." You tell him before heading up to your room to change then go out quickly to meet Tendo. 

After a bit, a familiar bundle of fur comes to your side, and you look down at the fox. "Hey little guy. You my escort?" You lean down to pat his head. He makes a small noise and you smile before carrying on. 

"___!" Tendo greets cheerfully as you reach the school gates. "You settled in fast huh? Or did you start to miss me already?" He jokes lightly.

"... Yes." You smirk.

"Wait, to which one?" He pauses before chuckling. "Oh you!" He waves his hand before peering at the fox. "What's with the fox? Are you under surveillance?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Maybe? I just thought he liked me." You shrug, leaning down to pat the fox's head again. 

"Well whatever, come on that store I was telling you about is this way." Tendo hums heading off. You fall in step with him adjusting your glove. "How many have you gone through since we went separate ways?"

"One. But that was because the other one was pretty much done after the dorm greeting…" You smile. 

"That's good. Means you're feeling at home now. Are you getting along with everyone?" He asks curiously, glancing at the fox.

"I think so? Well… We got this guy named Atsumu that's kind of… Rude, but I think he's fine. Mostly been sticking with Sakusa. Did you know he has fangs?" You hook your index fingers in front of your mouth to indicate fangs. 

"Nope. So he's like a snake too? That guy is just all around toxic huh? Wonder what's in his blood." Tendo shakes his head. 

"Oh that's a scary thought…" You frown.

"Right? You're going to have to keep an eye on him. Make sure your friend doesn't get hurt." Tendo hums.

"I was going to do that anyway." You assure as you enter the store together. You pause, looking around. "Hero merchandise huh?" You hum. A whine sounds at your leg and you look at the fox as he places his front paws on your leg. "Hm? You want up?" You kneel down to gather the fox in your arms before standing up and browsing the shop with Tendo. 

"They even have those little figurines for the newbs that do good in the Rescue Tournament." Tendo points to some. "See, this is Ushijima from last year's tournament." He picks it up before tossing you a smile. "We're friends." He adds, placing it on the shelf.

"Oh right. That big upcoming hero you told me about." You nod. "Your school must have some impressive people in it to be climbing the ranks so fast." 

"Principal Washijo is pretty selective with the quirks that come in. I hear that he chooses ones that don't appear villainous…" He hums.

"... So my quirk." You deadpan.

"It's not my opinion, but yes." He rubs his neck.

"Talk about stereotyping…" You sigh as you move down the aisle with him. He picks out his Shonen Jump and flips through the pages briefly before leading the way to the front desk, picking out some candy before purchasing everything. 

"Come on. There's a park this way." He tells you as you follow him out. He peers at you as you pet the fox in your arms. "I was so surprised when you said you wanted to be a hero." He comments, making you look at him. "But I was also very proud." He smiles at you. "___, I really think you're going to be a good hero. Even if you stumbled into that decision. I have high hopes for you."

"... Thanks." You murmur in shock. "What's this? Why do you keep getting sentimental with me, Tendo?" You tilt your head offering a light hearted smile.

"You're right it does sound sentimental." He chuckles unwrapping a piece of candy and popping it into his mouth. "But I think it's something you should hear from your best friend every once and awhile." He offers you a piece.

"Ah.. Okay then." You take the piece of candy looking at the park as you reach it. "This is a big park…"

"Mhm, it's pretty peaceful too." He says before looking at you. "Got time to read a few with me?" He smiles, holding up the Shonen Jump hopeful. You blink and smile a bit.

"Sure."

Sundown was approaching as you and the fox hurry back to the dorms. You were nearly there when a scream stops you in your tracks. Looking around quickly, you swiftly spot a stone golem looming over a woman. 'Not good!' You think running for her, taking off your glove. The golem stood behind a distraught man who was yelling at the woman. 

"I told you! You're not going anywhere! You belong to- with me!" He shouts when you come in range. You swiftly move in front of the woman. 

"Uh. No. I'm pretty sure grown women can do what they want." You say loudly. 

"Stay out of this kid." He growls, swinging an arm, the golem mirroring it. You raise your hand, making the arm burst. 

"Nope. You're clearly being uncivil here. I'm not walking away until this woman is safe." You respond. You shook slightly, this was a tense situation and you were not sure what to do. 

"Safe? Of course she's safe with me, I love her." He raises his arms, the golem doing the same, the arm reforming. You glance back at the woman, the fear deep within her seemed to seep out as tears leave her eyes. She meets your gaze, a silent plea echoing your head.

"Don't worry. I'm going to protect you." You smile softly before looking at the man again as his eyes darken at your statement. 

"Shoulda just kept walking, kid." He growls, arm pulling back. The fox moves in front of you, fur fluffing up, ready to join in. Someone moves near the man and there's a sudden pressure in the air. Pushing down on the three of you. He man and his golem fall to their hands and knees, trying to fight it the whole time. "What is this!?"

"Excuse me, but I'll be stepping in now." The dark haired guy says, stepping forward and looking down at the man briefly before looking at you and the fox. "You two hurry back to the dorms. Oikawa will be mad if you're out late on your first night." He adds, the pressure soon easing off of you.

"U-Uh. Yessir!" You manage, picking up the fox and running off. 'Who was that?...' You wonder glancing back. Maybe another upperclassmen? 

You reach the dorms, putting the fox down and going in. Oikawa is there to greet you, looking at his phone. "Daichi just informed me that you're one minute late because you were helping someone. So I''ll let this time slip." He lowers his phone.

"Lay off Oikawa, you've come in thirty minutes after curfew a few times. Don't be bullying the first years for a minute." Another second year says, giving him a frown.

"I-I'm not bullying them Iwa-chan!" Oikawa objects, receiving an unbelieving glare in response. The other second year steps forward meeting your gaze.

"Be more careful in the future this town isn't safe at night. There are no hero agencies in the immediate area so crime is a bit higher here. Get some upperclassmen numbers, so if you feel you're going to be late you can call for an escort, okay?" He tells you.

"Y-Yes sir." You nod, blinking at him. Why wasn't this guy the dorm president? 

"Good idea Iwaizumi." Kuroo hums, entering the room with Bokuto, both carrying tubs of popcorn.

"Huh? I'm the President you know!.. And what are you two doing with popcorn? You have tests tomorrow, you better not stay up all night watching movies." Oikawa scolds.

"Feh, and here we were going to ask you to join us. We got that new alien movie." Kuroo smirks. Oikawa twitches at that.

"I'll get us some drinks." He decides heading for the kitchen.

"Yooo." Kuroo and Bokuto say together, carrying on for the elevator. Iwaizumi sighs quietly, rubbing his eyes before turning back to you and the fox.

"Anyway, I'll give you my number. Only call me in that situation or if you're in danger. Just know that you'll owe me a snack afterwards." He says, taking out his phone.

"Yes." You murmur doing the same and exchanging numbers with him. You head off to your room right after that. You pause at your door, looking over at Sakusa's door before going over and knocking on it.

"Come in." He says, granting you access as you open the door and poke your head in. He was sitting at his desk cluttered with small empty glass bottles, pressing one to one of his fangs, steadily filling it with venom. "Stop staring."

"Ah sorry. I got some snacks while I was out, did you want one?" You ask, trying not to stare. He peers at the clock before motioning for the bag in your hand. You take it to him, closing the door behind you. He peers in the bag carefully, putting the bottle down to adjust his gloves before taking out two packages. 

"Thank you." He murmurs. "Did you have dinner while you were out?" 

"Yeah Tendo took me to a ramen place near his school… The shops over there are much nicer than the ones around here." You comment.

"It's a more prosperous district thanks to the school." He says simply. 

"That's true... I just stopped by to offer you some snacks." You head to the door. "Thanks for putting up with me. I know I'm kinda sticking to your side right now. Hope its not annoying." You wave your hand before going out and going into your room, rolling onto your bed with a yawn. Tomorrow the real fun would begin.


	3. First Day

".... ___." The severity in Sakusa's voice makes you wake up with a jerk. 

"What- what's wrong?" You slur sitting up sleepily.

"What did I say about the fox?" He questions with a glare at the fluff curled up against you. You blink a few times looking down at it.

"I didn't do this…" You object with a yawn. His eyes narrow at you at that. "... Okay I did, but he was scratching at my door and I was half asleep." You defend rubbing your eyes and petting the fox as he lifts his head with a yawn. Sakusa sighs, putting on gloves to pick up the fox and put it out.

"Be gone vermin." He breathes as he shooed it away. "Class starts in an hour. Get ready now so you can eat." He tells you before going out. You blink at the door before falling back into your bed.

"... Kay…" You say into your pillow.

"___! Good morning!" Nishinoya greets as you and Sakusa enter the dining room. 

"Morning, you sleep alright?" You ask.

"Yeah. I got some exercise in and went right out." He beams. "You and Atsumu didn't make curfew huh? We tried to wait up for ya, but Oikawa made us go to our rooms." 

"Oh, sorry, I ran into some trouble. But I didn't know Atsumu was out too. Did he make it back?" You look about.

"No idea." He shrugs. "Ryuu and Iwaizumi are in charge of breakfast today so it should be coming out soon." He says finding a place to sit and motioning you to sit next to him. You smile and sit beside him, Sakusa taking the other seat beside you. The Miya twins soon come in, taking seats across from you. 

"Hey Atsumu, I see you made it back too. Did Oikawa give you hell for being out late?" Nishinoya asks.

"Nope. I hear ___ got away with it too." Atsumu hums.

"You're not supposed to wear hats indoors…" Sakusa tells him.

"I can wear my beanie if I want to." Atsumu responds simply. 

"I wouldn't say I got away with it." You pipe up with a frown.

"Hmm… Guess not." Atsumu tilts his head, pursing his lips briefly.

"Coming through!" Ryuu declares as he and Iwaizumi come in with platters of food. 

"Akaashi, ring the bell." Iwaizumi requests from the first year. Akaashi nods, doing so and making the dining room fill up with the rest of the dorm. 

"Hey hey hey! Something smells great!" Bokuto chimes.

"So loud…" Oikawa yawns.

"Mm I smell fish." Kuroo hums. 

"Morning Bokuto, Kuroo." You greet. They return the greeting and Oikawa frowns, clearing his throat loudly. "And Dorm President of course." You add.

"Goody goody." Atsumu teases.

"It's good manners, go find another cereal box." You retort.

"I don't think a class on manners could help him." Sakusa remarks, taking off his mask.

"Nope he would definitely fall asleep." Osamu agrees. 

"Heh. Are they taking shots at you Atsumu?" Kuroo chuckles sitting beside Atsumu. 

"Shut it. All of ya. What the heck is the big idea huh?" Atsumu scoffs.

"It's your fault for being rude." You stick out your tongue at him.

"Hey hey hey! ___! What're we making for dinner?" Bokuto's question makes you pause. 

"Oh…" You frown.

"Better make something good, today's going to be a busy day." Atsumu chuckles.

"... I'm worried about the days you cook." You retort. 

"Huh?" Atsumu blinks.

"Me too. Apparently he's paired up with Asahi… Whoever that is." Osamu says.

"He's around," Kuroo assures glancing around. "Probably sleeping in." 

"I'll go wake him up!" Nishinoya chimes, finishing his plate and heading out.

"Classes start in ten minutes! Hurry it up!" Iwaizumi informs the room.

"Yessir!"

"We're all in the same class too?" You comment, glancing back at all the first years from your dorm.

"Most of us, I think." Ryuu says. 

"Damn…" Sakusa mutters. You enter the classroom, taking a seat. Sakusa takes the seat behind you and Nishinoya takes the desk in front of you. Atsumu picking out the desk next to you.

"I wonder what kinda teacher we'll get." You hum, stretching in your seat.

"I heard the A classes usually get some badasses." Atsumu says, drumming on his desk.

"Wouldn't it be cool if it was a Hero like FlashFire?" Nishinoya gushes, turning to you. 

"Who?" Your question seems to shock him and his mouth falls open.

"You don't know FlashFire?! He can make fire puppets out of sparks! He once used one the size of a house to take out a swamp villain! He's the coolest!" Nishinoya tells you.

"Oh. So his quirk is kinda like yours…" You tilt your head and he pauses before smiling sheepishly.

"What? No, my wind guardian is different." He says rubbing the back of his head.

"But it's really cool. And powerful." You point out. "You're really awesome Nishinoya." You grin. He stills, red coming over his face before chuckles sheepishly and turns away.

"Heh. You're pretty cool to, ___," He manages. 

"Stop staring." Sakusa's voice makes you look back to see him looking at Atsumu with annoyance.

"I wasn't." Atsumu scoffs looking ahead.

"Lame." Osamu hums.

"Shut it."

"Good morning everyone! I hope you've all settled into your dorms." A young man comes into the classroom wearing glasses and a warm smile. "I'm Ittetsu Takeda and I'm going to be your homeroom teacher."

'.... He's a marshmallow….' You think in awe.

"Takeda- Sensei, are you… A hero?" Atsumu asks.

"That's right." Takeda smiles. "Now then let's start roll call…" 

After class introductions Takeda leads the class out to a testing building. "Can someone tell me the most important thing for a hero to do?"

"Rescue?" Ryuu answers, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope."

"Fighting!" Nishinoya grins.

"No. Anyone else?" 

"Gather information." Sakusa states.

"That's right."

"Huh?" Ryuu and Nishinoya tilt their heads.

"Although rescue and fighting are also important the most important job of a hero is to gather information. And I don't just mean documents. Analyzing the situation you're in is also information gathering. It's vital that you use the information you gather to move efficiently to save lives." Takeda stops in a hallway and turns to the class. "The doors behind me all lead to different courses. Your goal is to find and save three decoys. But, the courses are littered with traps, and some may even endanger the decoys."

"So we need to clear the level without getting the decoy's injured." Kenma clarifies.

"Correct. And this is where your information gathering will come in. Along with the decoys, I'd like you to try and figure out what happened in your course." Takeda smiles before looking at his clipboard. "Lets see… First pair, Sakusa and Ryuu. Second pair, Nishinoya and Kenma. Third pair, ___ and Osamu…" 

You start for the third door, pauses as Atsumu stops his brother, whispering something to him. Osamu gives him a look before joining you at the door. "You okay?" You ask him.

"Yeah. He's just being a pain in the ass." He responds, opening the door so you can go in. You do so, getting blasted by a chilly wind as Osamu closes the door behind you both. 

"Snow…" You mutter going forward carefully. It looked like a ruined town covered in snow. "Think we gotta worry about the decoys getting hypothermia?" 

"I hope not." He says looking around.

"So what's your quirk?" You ask him.

"... 'Tsumu told me not to tell you." He states, stunning you.

"Huh? Why the hell not??" You question annoyance swirling up.

"Because we have the same quirk. Don't ask why because I don't know. I just know it's going to be really annoying if I don't listen to him this time." He says, holding up a hand as you slowly tilt your head with a frown. "I can still help find the decoys."

"... Alright fine. Let's just go. I was not prepared for snow." You sigh. 

"Cant you use your quirk to make this snow disappear?" He asks.

"Too much of it, I could probably clear out a two foot radius." You respond. 

"Damn… Alright, lets see…" He sniffs at the air. "Assuming they're made of the same thing as the decoys from the exam… There's one nearby." He says moving forward. You move with him down the street, stopping beside a building that was pretty much flattened. You kneel at an opening, peering into the darkness. "It's in there…"

"Alright. Think I can fit in there. There's only one in here?" You look at him. He hums, sniffing at the air before nodding.

"The other two are further down." He tells you.

"Alright. I'll get this one, you can go see where the other two are." You tell him starting in.

"Watch out for traps." He says before moving away.

You crawl forward carefully, eyes slowly adjusting as you maneuver through the planks of wood carefully. A hole in the ceiling shining down on a piece of floor, four deep gashes cutting through it. "Whoa.. Whatever did that must be huge." You mutter peering around the lit area and spotting the decoy. "There you are." You breathe moving forward carefully. You reach it and sit up to a crouch. This decoy's shirt was pinned by a piece of wood that appeared to be holding this part of the house up. 

"Good thing it's just us." You breathe putting an arm around it as you use your teeth to remove your glove before touching the pillar and swiftly holding up your hand as the roof comes down right after. After a moment, light shines over you and the dummy. You put on your glove and pick up the decoy, jumping out of the hole and walking over the roof as Osamu hurries over with a decoy as well.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"I'm good, it was going to come down either way. Are we putting these guys near the door?" You ask, hopping down to join him on the street.

"Yes. I found the last one. I'm going to need your help." He says as you both go back to the door setting the decoy's down.

"You find anything else?" You ask him.

"Well, one the buildings looks like something big crashed into it from outside the town." He tells you.

"I saw huge claw marks on the floor of the house we found the decoy in. Must be a beastly villain." You say, as you follow him to the last decoy. 

"Seems too easy." He comments.

"True. But the heroes that come for the clean up don't normally have to do much." You hum. A howling icy wind hits you both and you shudder, moving closer to Osamu. "Damn that's cold."

"That's weird." He states, stopping briefly. "Aren't we just in a big room for testing? Why's there a wind like that coming through?"

"Maybe to add to the atmosphere?" You suggest. He nods and leads you to a nearly destroyed tower. 

"The last one, is up there." He points to the main part of the tower. 

"... Damn…" You breathe, you could see the decoy peering out of the window. "How are we supposed to get it down? If we climb up the supports are going to break." You frown.

"Then let it break. Use your quirk to clear the way and catch that decoy." He tells you.

"That sounds really risky." You gasp.

"With our quirks and sources. Do you have a better idea?" He responds.

"Nope. Be careful." You say, taking off your glove and moving away to where it could fall. You take a deep breath, exchanging a nod with Osamu just before he rams into one of the supports, making the tower fall forward. You raise your arm, bracing yourself. Your heart picks up and time slows a fraction. Your quirk bursts open the toward and you catch the decoy, nearly falling over, but keeping your hand up to burst open the other side of the tower.

"... Please tell me you're alive." Osamu calls. 

"If you didn't think I could survive that, then why did you suggest it?" You ask, shaking slightly as he peers in.

"Because from my perspective, that looked terrifying." He responds as you look over at him. Something large and white leaps across the street behind him, making you still.

"Osamu… The villain is still here." You stammer, swiftly pulling him into the destroyed tower. 

"What? You sure?" He whispers looking out. 

"Looks like you were right about the wind…" You murmur just before another howl sounds, a blizzard suddenly forming outside. "He didn't mention fighting."

"Then we'll just hurry out…" He says trying to see through the white out. "I can find the way with my nose." 

"That's a nice idea, but I think I'll freeze." You tell him. 

"I'll guard you from the wind. And you need to stay close to me anyway or we'll be separated." He points out as you put your glove back on. 

"Alright… And if it comes to a fight?" You ask.

"Then I'll take it on and you get the decoys out of here. The rescue comes first." He breathes.

"Okay. Ready when you are." You murmur, getting ready to sprint with him. He offers his hand but you hesitate, shaking your head. "That's not a good idea. If I get too stressed out my quirk will eat through my glove." You tell him, firmly holding the decoy in your left arm. He pauses and hums pulling out a bandana and tying your wrist to his.

"How's that?"

"It'll work." You smile. He nods and you both look to the wall of white.

"Alright. Lets go. Stay low, that way I can follow the scent better." He says. You hum in agreement and you both sprint out, the icy wind blasting you. Osamu moves into your side shielding you as you pull the decoy closer. You squint ahead, something moving past suddenly makes you jump slightly. 

"Circling us." You murmur.

"Just keep-" Something collides into him and the bandana unravels as your arm is jerked back. All you can see is white again.

"Shit. Osamu!" You call. There's the sound of a struggle nearby just before Osamu reappears, grabbing your wrist and pulling you along.

"Damn thing's huge." He manages, a pair of fox ears shoveled on the top of his head now. He suddenly looks to the side. "Down!" He barks, and you both dive forward. You feel something large brush over your back. "Go!" He pulls you back up to your feet, running on with you. Soon color pierces the white and you both leave the blizzard just before the door. Osamu and you look at each other then behind to find the town further buried in snow. No trace of the villain.

"... Okay then." You go to the other decoys to grab one.

"I think we passed." He mutters picking up the other. "I can carry the other one too." He adds looking at you.

"Oh sure. These guys are pretty heavy." You nod, looking at the fox ears. "Um… Your quirk is sticking out." 

"Huh? Oh." He puts on a beanie quickly, frowning a bit as he looks at you.

"It's okay. I didn't see anything, but I have a question."

"What's that?"

"If I hit your brother- really hard, are you going to feel it?"

"Hmm. I don't think so. But feel free to try." 

You chuckle at that, the both of you pushing through the door and into the warm hallway. Takeda looks up from his tablet and blinks in surprise.

"Well done, you two are the first done… I'm impressed, I thought that course would be very challenging with the extra element in it." He praises coming over. "As for the story element I expect you both to write a report."

"Yessir." You and Osamu say together. 

"Go ahead back to class and start your papers, of course you can work together on it." Takeda says. With that you both start back for class.

"I'm surprised, I thought we were taking too long." You comment.

"Well we were able to get the decoys pretty fast. The only hold up was that wolf and the blizzard." He points out.

"It was a wolf huh?" You blink in surprise.

"Well, more like a big white werewolf." He describes. "I think his hero name is Snowball…. Does not suit him at all." He shakes his head.

"That's actually adorable… and very misleading." You giggle. "By the way that fox scent of yours is pretty amazing I'm lucky you were my partner." He smiles slightly, looking at the floor from your praise.

"Your quirk really helped us out there too. So we were both lucky." He comments rubbing his neck. 

After classes you head back to the dorm, Nishinoya and Ryuu seeming very excited about the next day. "Sensei said he was going to go over the footage from the courses and tell us his thoughts tomorrow." Nishinoya says. "I think I did great! Course Kenma's quirk was a big help too!"

"I think we did good as well. Though I don't think he'll approve of how we got the last decoy." You comment, sharing a glance with Osamu.

"I don't think either of us really agreed with that move." He admits.

"At least you guys were decisive. We almost stayed in our course for the whole class. And it was on fire!" Ryuu complains, shooting Sakusa a slight glare.

"If we had done things your way. Our decoys would've been crushed. And you stated the fire didn't bother you because of your scales." Sakusa states bluntly.

"You didn't get burnt did you?" You ask Sakusa. He meets your gaze but doesn't answer. "I get that you're cautious, but for your sake, try moving with more urgency." You frown lightly.

"... Noted." He says looking away, brows knitted together.

"Heh you're such a caring friend ___," Atsumu hums.

"I am." You raise your chin. "By the way Atsumu, I owe you a punch. Telling your brother to hide his quirk really held us back." You send him a glare. He pauses and shrugs.

"I just didn't want 'Samu to do all the work himself." He says shaking his head. Your eye twitches and you hold up your right hand, moving to remove your glove but Sakusa stops you. 

"Not yet." He breathes.

"Hm?" Atsumu blinks at you two confused.

"You should stop teasing ___, 'Tsumu." Osamu comments as he takes the lead into the dorms. 

"Hey hey hey! ___! How was your first day?" Bokuto greets cheerfully.

"It was… Good." You smile a bit. 

"So you don't want what I brought you?" Tendo asks, peering around the corner. 

"Tendo!" You cheer going over and giving him a hug.

"I was missed!" He chuckles hugging you back. He pulls away and holds up a bag. "Guess."

"Hmm… A movie you've been waiting on just came out so you brought it and snacks." You guess.

"Correct! But Bokuto says you have to make dinner." He tilts his head.

"Yeah. But I decided on ramen so it shouldn't take long." You smile.

"Oh! Good idea!" Bokuto grins.

"I'll help." Osamu offers. "Ramen does sound good after snow."

"Right? And thanks Osamu." You smile.

"No problem." 

"Is it okay to start now?" You ask Bokuto.

"We got three hours. You have time to hang out and watch the movie." He assures waving his hand. You and Tendo exchange a glance at that.

"You got drinks in that bag?" You ask.

"Your favorite." He smiles. "Show me your room." 

"Alright." You grin.

"Wait. What movie?" Sakusa speaks up.

"You'll have to see for yourself." Tendo chuckles motioning for him to come along. "Join us but I'm not sharing the snacks with you."

"Fine by me." Sakusa says following you two up the stairs. You lead them to your room, opening the door.

"I'm home!" Tendo calls cheerfully before setting the bag on your desk and rolling onto your bed cheerfully. "Hm? Didn't you bring a lot more pillows?"

"They're in the closet. I'll get some out so we can make a mock couch." You tell him going to the closet and open it while Sakusa goes through the bag, pulling out the movie.

"Eight Feet Tall…" He reads.

"Oooh I love that lore!" You chime, tossing some pillows at Tendo so he can set them up.

"I know!" He beams. Sakusa puts the movie in before moving to close the door, but a familiar bundle of fur sweeps past him and under the bed.

"Little…" Sakusa curses, glaring at the bed. "Get out vermin." He kneels down, looking under the bed. Tendo leans down peering under the bed at the fox.

"Hey Foxy!" He chimes. "This little guy really likes ya." He adds, looking up at you as you set up the last of the pillows.

"I think this is someone's way of making friends." You hum, kneeling down and peering at the fox too. "Come here buddy. You wanna watch the movie too huh?"

"___." Sakusa looks at you and you could tell he was giving a disapproving frown behind his mask. 

"I'll sanitize his tiny paws." You offer him a smile.

"He looks clean though." Tendo says. 

"Just keep it away from me." Sakusa sighs sitting on the bed. Tendo sits in the middle after grabbing the remote. 

"Looks like you got the all clear." You smile at the fox as he comes out. You pick him up and sit beside Tendo as he starts the movie. "I gotta give him a nickname. Any ideas?" 

"Vermin." Sakusa hums.

"FireFox!" Tendo chimes.

"I like FireFox but it's too long. And Vermin just seems mean… What does Osamu call Atsumu?" You peer at Sakusa.

"... 'Tsumu? Sounds weird."

"I think it's cute… This is 'Tsumu." You hum, petting the fox. 

The movie was creepy and suspenseful, you and Tendo huddle up with each jumpscare. You hug the fox while Sakusa just seemed to still, becoming rigid.

"That was an awesome movie!" Tendo chuckles when the credits finally roll. "You still alive, Sakusa?" He adds peering at him. 

"Of course." Sakusa manages looking away. Tendo chuckles and peers at you.

"I feel that could've used a twist at the end…" You hum. "What do you think 'Tsumu?" You ask the fox, pulling on his cheeks lightly. The fox hides his face in your stomach. "He thought it was a good movie too." You snicker. 

"I told you it was going to be scary!" He gets up, taking out the disk. "Alright, lets go make ramen." 

"Sounds good." You breathe getting up and stretching. You all head out and downstairs to the kitchen, washing your hands before starting on the ramen. Bokuto joins in half way, giving the meat a hungry look.

"Bokuto's eating stuff already!" Tendo alerts.

"No Bokuto-senpai! Don't eat all the meat!" You gasp.

"But it looks good!" He sends you a pout, making you stiffen.

'Ugh… Dammit.' Your lip quiver not sure what to do until Sakusa comes in, placing his hand on the back of Bokuto's neck. You pause, eyes widening at Sakusa. Bokuto slows before completely stopping. "Sakusa…?"

"He won't move for the next ten minutes. Move quickly." He responds, moving away.

"Oh… Uh okay. Tendo! Replace the meats!" You say getting back to work.

"I'm done on my end." Osamu rumbles.

"Osamu, you're a beast in the kitchen." You declare. He tosses a smirk, arms flexing briefly.

"What was THAT?" Atsumu bursts out laughing, earning a glare from his brother. 

"That was cool." You point at Osamu. "It's better than him always saying 'shut it'." You add, smirking. 

"Shut-- Tch…" He looks away with a huff. 

"Lame." Osamu says.

".... I hate you both." Atsumu scoffs going out.

"He still doesn't know you know huh?" Osamu guesses.

"No idea. I think I'll see how long it takes him to slip up and then tease him afterwards." You hum.

"I like that idea… Lets bet." He offers.

"One week?" You chuckle.

"So generous… Two days… Max." He states.

"Ooh what are you two betting on?" Tendo asks.

"Tell ya later, lets get this food out." You smile heading out with the bowls. As you're followed out, Bokuto's paralysis wears off.

"Hey hey hey! Sakusa! That was dirty!" He shouts.

"Excuse me?" Sakusa huffs offended. 

"Thanks Sakusa." You smile, setting a bowl down for him. 

"... It would be annoying if he ate all of the good stuff…" He grumbles. 

"So that's why everything came out on time. Not bad Sakusa." Kuroo chuckles.

"That is pretty efficient." Akaashi comments.

"Aw! Akaashi! Back me up!" Bokuto whines.

"Looks good. And you had extra help." Oikawa murmurs next to you, taking a bowl.

"I did." You throw a smile at Tendo and Osamu.

"Hm? You're… Ah, Tendo." Oikawa greets in surprise.

"Hope you don't mind. I came to see my friend." Tendo waves.

"Not at all. Just don't bring Ushijima here… EVER." Oikawa waves.

"... Now I want to meet him." You mutter.

"What was that?" Oikawa smiles at you.

"Nothing! Lets eat!"

"Alright, I'm heading back. See you later ___! I'll miss you!" Tendo waves.

"Awe… I'll miss you too!" You smile waving after him as he heads out.

"Sure you don't want to walk him back?" Bokuto asks.

"I'll be late for curfew if I do. And I think the Dorm President is just waiting for a reason to come for me." You admit.

"He is." Iwaizumi comments, making you both jump and look at him.

"Iwaizumi! Why are you sneaking around?" Bokuto huffs. 

"I'm not." Iwaizumi raises an eyebrow at him.

"Wait so he is after me?" You frown.

"Not really. You're just another threat for the Rescue Tournament." Iwaizumi breathes.

"I cant even rescue!" You whisper.

"Didn't you save Atsumu back during the exam?" Iwaizumi tilts his head.

"I thought he was a cute little fox that got lost. I didn't know he was… You know… Just found that out today." You whisper.

"... That doesn't change anything, your quirk is still pretty powerful." Iwaizumi tells you. 

"Are you kidding?" You burst. "I cant touch anything without destroying it! Look! This glove is supposed to be indestructible!" You hold up your hand and glove bursts. "See?! This happens whenever I'm excited or agitated! I… I am a threat. But not in the way he thinks." You drop your arms and look down. "If I touch someone… They're gone… Or at least a big portion of them."

"That is scary. But you haven't even hurt a decoy. You being more aware of it than anything is good too." Bokuto pats your back. "But you should tell everyone that. So we can help you out." He smiles when you look at him.

"Might help if all of us carried those gloves. How can we get them?" Iwaizumi asks. You look between them and smile a bit.

"I uh, get sent a box every week. I can start leaving them in the main room. I go through like twenty a week. Unless it's a bad week, then I do go through the box." You rub your cheek.

"What counts as a bad week?" Bokuto asks carefully.

"Mmm I don't know. Usually its a week where I don't see Tendo." You murmur, closing your eyes and tilting your head. "Dunno why that is though." 

"Noted. We just gotta make sure Tendo comes to visit often." Bokuto gives a thumb up.

"Right." You nod. "Good plan."

"What are you guys doing? The movie's about to start." Nishinoya asks, looking into the lobby from the main room.

"Coming."

"Sakusa, you wanna fight?" Atsumu questions as you all head up the stairs after the movie. "Who the hell paralyzes someone during a movie!?"

"It was an accident." Sakusa states.

"Pretty sure you taking off your glove, reaching past ___ and touching my neck- isn't an accident." Atsumu scoffs.

"You were moving too much." Sakusa responds.

"Sakusa's quirk is awesome." You chuckle.

"Oi!" Atsumu huffs frowning.

"It is. Wish I could do that." Osamu agrees.

"I still hate you both." Atsumu grumbles.

"Sure." You hum patting his head.

"Tch. What the heck are you doing?" He swats your hand away. "I'm not a kid!" 

"You guys are noisy. Get to the second floor already." Iwaizumi says coming up behind the pack.

"Ah, sorry sir!" You manage, as you move to the second floor. He pauses looking at you.

"Oh, almost forgot, the box." He reminds you.

"I'll get it." You nod, hurrying to your room and grabbing it from the closet. "Here. I keep what I need for the week in my drawer." You tell him, bringing it back to him. The guys peer in and take a few.

"Alright. I'll take the rest downstairs. Make sure you all go to bed at a decent time." He says heading back downstairs.

"He's like… The Dorm Dad." You comment. They all pause before looking away with a snicker.

"Dorm Dad…" Osamu chuckles.

"Lets call him that. But not to his face…. He looks like he punches like a horse." Atsumu manages.

"... Please tell him that." Sakusa says moving to his room.

"How can you be friends with that guy?!" Atsumu asks you. 

"I find his straight forwardness and honesty… Charming in a sense." You put a knuckle to your chin. 

"You have problems." Atsumu shakes his head going to his room. You and Osamu watch after him before doing a high five and going to your rooms. 

Scratches on your door pull you back from the dream that had almost pulled you in. You get up and open the door to let the fox in. 

"'Tsumu… Cant you come sooner? I was almost asleep…" You grumble sleepily, pulling on a second glove over your hand before crawling back into bed with the fox close behind. He nuzzles himself between your arms, cuddling up to your pillow. "What a cute fox. Maybe I should have given you Osamu's nickname instead." You smirk. He makes a sound, ears folding back. You chuckle and pet his head. 

"I'm kidding. Don't be so upset about it.." You murmur. "Although…" He growls slightly at that. "What's that? You want to go into Sakusa's room?"

Whine.

"I was only half joking there." 


	4. Bad Match

".... ___," Sakusa murmurs, leaning over you and the fox. You grumble and the fox snuggles closer to you. His eyes narrow, glaring at the fox. Osamu peers in, blinking at you and the fox. 

"Ah… There you are…" He sighs coming in and taking the fox, making it squeak in disapproval. "Shut up." He huffs, carrying his brother out. Sakusa blinks after him before adjusting his glove and poking you.

"Wake up." He says.

".... No." You roll over and pull the blanket over your head. "Five more minutes." You add. He huffs before lifting the blanket and climbing into bed with you, setting the alarm on his watch. 

"Fine…" He murmurs. Both of you drifting off again, but only for a few minutes.

".... What the heck!? Get up you two!" Atsumu snaps, waking you both up. 

"So loud…" You grumble sitting up while Sakusa raises his middle finger to him in response.

"It's time to get up. Not cuddle time." Atsumu scolds.

"So lame." Osamu's voice sounds from the hallway.

"Shut it!" Atsumu snaps. Sakusa sighs in annoyance, rubbing his temples. You blink and throw a pillow at Atsumu. "What-" He pauses when you give him a glare putting your index finger to your lips. He blinks before clicking his tongue and going out. 

"Did you not sleep well? You can sleep a bit longer. I'll bring you breakfast." You murmur, touching Sakusa's back softly. He sighs, giving you a tired glance.

"I'm supposed to help the Dorm President with breakfast this morning…" He informs you. 

"Then he'll just have to put up with me. Get some sleep here." You smile lightly, getting up and grabbing your uniform.

"No. I don't want to owe you." He says, starting to get up but you lightly push him back down, covering him up.

"Sleep well okay?" You chuckle when he gives you a look.

"Fine. Good luck with the Dorm President." He yawns. You watch him drift off before closing your door and changing then heading downstairs to the kitchen.

"Guess Oikawa isn't up yet… What to make…"

"Omelets sound good." A murmur sounds, making you look back at Kenma as he shifts timidly on the other side of the counter. He meets your gaze before looking down. "If you want help I can get Kuroo or Osamu." 

"That's fine. And omelets sound good." You smile a bit at him. "Thanks." You add before focusing on prepping breakfast. Kenma watches you for a moment.

"___, do you think you'll be a good hero?" He asks lightly. You pause and glance back at him.

"I have no idea to be honest. I think I'm just doing what my inner voice wants. I mean…" You tilt your head. "Becoming a hero would have more meaning than taking the easy route and being a villain." 

"Meaning huh…" He breathes. 

"I'm sorry, I don't think I answered your question." You frown, glancing back at him. 

"That's okay… I was just curious. Usually when I ask someone they are confident and boast… You're kinda like me." He smiles a tiny bit. 

"You think so?" You hum starting to cook.

"Yes." 

"Mornin' Kenma, huh? Why are you cooking? It's Oikawa and Sakusa's breakfast shift." Kuroo comments, coming in.

"Sakusa isn't feeling well right now so I'm covering for him… And I think the Dorm President is probably sleeping in." You respond.

"Oh… Alright. I'll help you out.." Kuroo decides, moving to your side. 

"Really? Thank you Kuroo." You smile a bit.

After breakfast is made, you and Kuroo take the food out and you move to take Sakusa his plate. 

"Hm? Where are you going?" Atsumu asks.

"I'm taking Sakusa his food and seeing if he's feeling better." You tell him.

"How nice." He comments, for once not seeming smug.

"If you have a problem take it up with someone else." You tell him bluntly.

"I don't… I hope the jerk feels better soon." He scoffs looking away. "And thanks for the food."

"You're welcome." You respond before heading upstairs.

Peering into your room you find his back to you, sleeping soundly. He really didn't seem to be feeling well. You frown lightly, easing in and setting the plates down before leaning over him. The fact he had crawled into your bed with you without hesitation told you he wasn't feeling well, maybe it wasn't just sleep deprivation. You reach to cup his forehead but stop yourself, grabbing a rubber glove and putting it on before doing so. He did feel pretty warm.

'It's only the second day... Can he afford to be sick now?" You wonder worriedly. His eyes ease open and he peers up at you. "Hey. I brought breakfast." You greet softly.

"Thank you." He breathes, sitting up and taking off his mask, fangs dripping venom on your blanket. "Damn… Sorry." 

"That's alright, is that because you're sick?" You ask.

"Yes… What bad timing…" He mutters, taking the plate you offer. You sit beside him with your plate and start eating. 

"Don't worry about it. I can take notes with both hands. Course I'll give you the more eligible ones. And if it's training I'll ask Takeda-sensei if we can go to the courses so you can catch up once you're better." You hum.

"... Are you taking pity on me?" He inquires. You give him a confused look.

"No? I'm helping you cause you're my friend. And I want you to get better without worrying about class." You smile when he looks over at you. His brow furrows lips twitching upwards before he looks away. 

"Thank you." He murmurs. 

"Did you just hide a smile? That's mean Sakusa." You huff, peering at his face.

"Stop staring." He tells you. 

"Not if you're going to hide another smile." You deadpan. He chuckles, cracking a smile before looking away. "I saw that one."

"Stop it." He grumbles and you chuckle a bit, checking the time as you finish eating. 

"I need to head out now. Try to get better. I'll stop by during lunch." You tell him getting up and taking his plate.

"Why though?" He tilts his head.

"... I'm probably going to miss you and stop by just to see you." You shrug. He pauses and looks away again.

"That's embarrassing. Maybe you're sick too." He comments, pink touching his cheeks. 

"I just treat my friends well." You say, raising your chin. 

"Get away from me. Something tells me you get sappy when you have a cold." He grumbles. 

"Dunno, haven't been sick in a while." You claim, going to the door.

"... Rude." He comments. "Have a good day I guess… I like your bed so I'm going to sleep here a bit more. I'll clean it all up afterwards."

"I know you will. Feel better." You tell him before heading out. Nishinoya, Ryuu, and the twins are waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs. 

"Sakusa staying in today?" Nishinoya guesses.

"Yeah. I'll bring him some soup during lunch." You decide.

"Guess that guy gets sick easily huh?" Ryuu comments.

"Yeah. I've known him since elementary, and he's had more sick days than anyone else I know… Though it used to be a lot worse when we were little." You squint ahead as you go through memory lane.

"So you're childhood friends?" Atsumu asks.

"... Mmm not really. We never really spoke until now. He was just always there and never easy to approach. I think when we were little and were playing at the school he tripped and hurt himself, but started yelling at everyone. He seemed scary then. But I guess he was just worried about his blood… Everyone kinda avoided him after that…." You recall, frowning lightly. 

"Wow." Osamu murmurs.

"I think Tendo was the only one that would go talk to him. Tendo has no fear." You chuckle shaking your head.

"You mean he can handle prickly people." Atsumu hums.

"He gets along with anyone. He's like the best person ever." You boast.

"Sure." Atsumu nods.

"... You just doubted me." You frown.

"He seems kinda… Off to me." Atsumu shrugs. You turn your head to him with a glare. 

"I don't think I like you today." You tell him bluntly. He gaps at you in shock, touching his chest.

"That was your fault. Talking about the best friend like that." Osamu says, shaking his head. 

"Fine. I'm sorry." Atsumu tells you.

"You know. I kinda want to see what happens if you two get paired up." Ryuu comments with a chuckle.

"Oooh they'd probably catch the place on fire." Nishinoya jokes.

"I don't have a fire quirk though… Do you?" You look at Atsumu.

"... No. Our dad had a fire quirk but we got mom's" He explains.

"And what was your mom's quirk?" You ask with a head tilt. Osamu smirks and looks away while Atsumu opens his mouth to answer but stops himself.

"No." He points at you.

"Why are you being stubborn about this?" You question. He pauses looking ahead with a scowl. 

"I'm not."

"Are too." You and Osamu say together.

"Don't gain up on me!" 

"Oh I see. Thank you for telling me ___, I'll try to make sure you're keeping up with notes." Takeda nods with a smile. "Right now I'm searching for a proper combat hero before moving to combat exercises. So today we'll be going over procedures and then quirk training afterwards." He informs.

"You're not a combat hero ___?" You tilt your head.

"Nope. My quirk impacts emotions so normally I don't need to fight to win." He responds lightly.

"Whoa…." You breathe in awe. "Could you demonstrate that sometime?" You ask curiously.

"Maybe. Now take your seat." He tells you. Going to your desk you look at Sakusa's, it felt strange that he wasn't there today. You frown a bit sitting down and getting ready to take double notes. Such a grueling few hours.

"Alright that's it for the notes. Were you able to get all that ___?" Takeda inquires.

"Yes…" You nod, though your non-dominant hand was cramping. 

"Alright, get ready to go out to lunch. Then we'll move to quirk training. Some of your upperclassmen have volunteered to assist in your training today. So be ready." He warns the class before the lunch bell sounds.

"You okay?" Osamu asks you as you rub your hand. 

"Yeah. Not used to writing with this one." You say, peering over the notes. "But it's all readable." You smile a bit, putting them in two different folders before moving them to your backpack. "Now to see if they'll have soup for Sakusa." You hum, before heading out with him and the others. 

"It's all about him today huh?" Atsumu comments. 

"Yes." You answer with a nod. "Because it feels weird that he isn't here." 

"Just say you miss the cactus." Ryuu chuckles.

"I miss the cactus." You nod. "His blunt remarks are nice."

"In what world is he nice?" Atsumu questions.

"Well, not nice but it's… Appreciated." You tilt your head.

"So weird." Atsumu shakes his head. You blink at him a few times before looking away. 

"I miss my little fox friend too. Wonder where he keeps going…" You comment, Atsumu pauses and Osamu smirks a bit, turning his head away.

"Um… ___, I don't think that fox is…" Kenma starts but Atsumu gives him a death look, making him tense and look away. "Nevermind."

"What was that Atsumu? You trying to pick a fight with Kenma?" Ryuu huffs.

"Nope. I have no idea what you're talking about. Anyway… I'm gonna get food." He says moving away from the group briskly.

"He's trying so hard." You remark making Osamu smirk.

"That's okay. Let him pile it up." He says.

"Anyway, time to find soup." You hum heading away from them. 

As you find Sakusa some soup, someone steps beside you, making you pause and look up at Oikawa.

"Ah… Dorm President… Hi." You manage when he offers you a smile.

"Hello. Thank you for making breakfast this morning. I'm sorry I slept in." He hums. "I heard your friend isn't feeling well today. Is that soup for him?" He inquires.

"No problem. And yes, I'm going to bring it to him now." You tell him, turning to walk away.

"I'll walk with you." He says, falling in step with you as you head off. 

"Okay." You murmur awkwardly. Did he want something? You glance at him a few times as you both walk to the dorms. 

"I should apologize. I didn't realize your quirk was so… Difficult." He tilts his head. "Here I thought you were some new gifted genius. But you're just lucky. And not in a good way." He says, slightly teasing. 

"... Isn't that just bad luck?" You tilt your head.

"Well no… Because you still got in. And you still managed a rescue in the exam." He says pointedly. 

"... Alright. I think I get your point." You murmur, relaxing a bit. You enter the dorms and Oikawa heads to the kitchen. You go upstairs, peering in your room to find Sakusa asleep again. Setting down the bowl you slip on a glove and check his temperature. It seemed to have gone down a bit. 

"Sakusa." You say softly, pulling your hand away. He hums, eyes easing open before he peers up at you. "Hey, I brought you soup, think you can eat some?" 

"... Yes." He yawns and sits up tiredly, taking off his mask. He frowns at it as it drips with venom. 

"I'll get you another one if you want." You offer, handing him the soup.

"Please. There's a box of them on my desk." He says, starting to eat. You turn to go out as Oikawa peers in.

"Oh, you're in ___'s room…." He comments. 

"Yeah. I have a nice bed." You hum brushing past to hurry into Sakusa's room to grab the box of masks before returning.

"I brought up some vitamin water for you." Oikawa says setting down a bottle. "And ___, I brought you a snack since you didn't grab any food for yourself." He adds, passing you a small plate of onigiri.

"Oh. Thanks. I totally forgot to grab anything for myself." You comment in surprise, taking a few bites.

"Thinking about the wrong things again." Sakusa comments.

"That's your opinion. To me, I'm thinking about the most important things." You hum, making him pause, eyes narrowing as he presses his lips together, pink crossing his face. Oikawa looks between you two lost.

"Are you okay Sakusa?" He asks.

"I'm fine. Thank you both." Sakusa manages, lowering his head and casting a shadow over his face.

"No problem. I'll head back to lunch now. Make sure you're not late to class ___, the quirk training is going to be intense." Oikawa tells you with a smile.

"Ah, okay." You manage before he goes out. "... I feel like I'm in danger again." 

"You'll be fine." Sakusa responds, shaking his head. You kneel down to peer at his face.

"Are you feeling any better? What else can I do for you?" You ask him lightly.

"... You could stop saying embarrassing things." He grumbles with a pout.

"I'll try, but I'm not promising anything." You chuckle and tilt your head. "I do miss you though. Get well soon okay."

"Ugh… You're the worst." He covers his face with a hand as he sighs in embarrassment. You chuckle at him and stand up to take his empty bowl.

"See you later Sakusa." You say stepping out of the room and closing the door as a little fox comes up the steps. You blink at the fox and smile, crouching down and opening your arms for him to jump into them. "Aw Tsumu! How did you know I missed you?" You gush, rubbing your cheek against his as you start down the steps.

He chatters cheerfully, tail wagging a bit as he cuddles up to you cheerfully. You reach the bottom step as Iwazumi passes the stairs. He pauses, blinking at you and the fox.

"That's… Awkward." He comments as you and Tsumu pause. You offer an awkward smile as he heads out.

"Huh. Wonder what's that about." You play it off before continuing on to discard the bowl and head to class.

"I didn't get a lot of volunteers for this so groups of three will be taking on a single second year." Takeda says looking over a clipboard.

"Three on one…" You echo. "That's going to be tedious for them."

"Are they really that good? Sounds like we're being underestimated." Atsumu comments.

"This isn't going to be full on combat. It's light quirk training." Takeda reminds him. "Now then, I'll tell you the groups on the way to the training rooms." He adds leading the class out.

Your assigned team is Atsumu and Kenma today, much to Atsumu's displeasure. "Eh? Why the heck are you putting me on the same team as ___? Talk about bad luck." He complains while you and Osamu share a glance.

"Almost sounds like he's happy about this." You hum.

"He can barely contain it." Osamu agrees. 

"You two stop talking behind me! I'm serious!" Atsumu snaps.

"Sure sure." You and Osamu wave at him. 

"Hey sensei, don't put their team near anything flammable." Ryuu says pointing at you and Atsumu.

"Ah I wanted to be on that team." Nishinoya chuckles. 

"I want off this ride." Kenma frowns. 

"I don't have time to adjust the teams." Takeda frowns, looking at your team in confusion. "If your upperclassmen complains about your teamwork there will be a punishment." He adds, and for some reason your heart drops.

"Ah. Y-yessir." Your team manages together.

"Huh? What's up with you guys all of a sudden?" Nishinoya asks as you and Atsumu look at each other. 

"Did sensei do something?" Ryuu mutters. 

"Alright head to your assigned rooms." Takeda waves everyone off with a soft smile. 

"He's actually scary." You and Atsumu mutter, moving to the room and heading in to find yourselves in a stone building. 

"These rooms are amazing." Atsumu breathes. "The one I was in last had a whole storm going on in it." 

"That sounds uncomfortable." Kenma comments. 

"Yeah, think I prefer the blizzard. Plus your brother was really warm so it wasn't so bad." You nod peering about.

"What?" Atsumu frowns at you. The sound of chains above makes you instinctively dive forward as swords rain down around your team. Kenma and Atsumu stiffen, looking up as Oikawa stands above on chains that stuck in the walls. 

"Yo-ho!" He smiles with a wave. "You two would be so dead right now."

"What the heck kinda greeting is that!?" Atsumu questions.

"___ how did you avoid that?" Kenma asks uneasily.

"I got chills…" You answer, looking up at Oikawa. "But I'm with Atsumu on this one. What was that about?"

"You should always be alert when you enter an unknown environment." Oikawa answers simply. He points at you and a dagger bursts out of his fingertip. You gasp and narrowly avoid it, a cut opening on your cheek. 

"___!" Atsumu gasps before leaping up at Oikawa, claws slashing at him. 

"Atsumu we need to regroup." Kenma says rushing over to you. Atsumu pauses, landing and moving to join you two.

"Like I'd allow that." Oikawa hums, holding an arm out to your group. You pull off your glove and swiftly touch the ground, sending up a cloud of particles. Another dagger slices your arm but Kenma grabs you and Atsumu, heading into a nearby room.

"This feels like combat." You hiss, looking at the cut.

"He's coming closer." Kenma says, eyes now red and blue. "What are we going to do?" 

"Can we even approach him? That quirk looks like a pain in the ass." Atsumu murmurs, wiping the blood from your cheek. 

"I don't even know if I can react in time to burst the blades." You agree.

"This is a bad match up." Kenma sighs. "I think he's about to attack again. We need to move." He breathes, nudging you both.

"Alright." You and Atsumu swiftly follow Kenma to a wall. 

"There's a room on the other side of this wall, ___, could you?" He looks at you.

"Got it." You touch the wall quickly, making a hole big enough for the three of you to go through. As you do, chains burst into the previous room, feeling about like tentacles.

"Close… We should sneak attack him now." Atsumu breathes.

"Good idea. Where is he?" You look to Kenma.

"Above the other doorway." He murmurs with a point.

"Alright. I'll take out the chains he's standing on. Atsumu you do something to restrain him." You decide.

"Gotcha." He breathes just before you two burst out of the room. You lock on Oikawa as he looks over in surprise. You move to leap at him but he smiles shaking his head.

"How naive." He comments as a chain wraps around your ankle, pulling you back into the room, through the hole and into a wall. You cough, wincing in pain as you try to get back up only to have Atsumu thrown into you.

"Shit… That hurt." Atsumu manages, getting up and looking at you. "Oh you okay?" He adds.

"I think you broke something…" You hiss getting back up, holding your side.

"S-Sorry."

"Hey! I took your eyes!If you want him back, you're going to have to do a lot better than that!" Oikawa calls from the main room.

"Kenma… Dammit." You grit your teeth. What were you going to do?

"Sneak attacks aren't going to work unless he's focused on one of us." Atsumu frowns. You look at each other and he shifts. "I'll take him head on. You use that quirk of yours to threaten him into submission."

"Threaten…" You echo frowning heavily.

"You got a better idea?" He questions.

"I take him head on and you do the back attack." You respond. 

"You're going to get all slashed up if we do it that way." He argues.

"And you won't be? Unless you were actually going to use your quirk." You raise an eyebrow at him, making him pause.

"... Alright, we'll do it your way." He grumbles straightening up and sniffing the air. "He's near the back corner of that room." He says with a point.

"Okay. Here I go." You shift rolling your shoulder briefly before running out. You spot Oikawa standing on the floor now, Kenma chained to the corner of the room. Oikawa turns to you with a small, smug smile.

"You're so reckless." He shakes his head, opening his arms a bit, daggers, swords, and axes hooked to chains materialise from his body, floating around him. You swallow and shift before lunging at him, right arm raised. The weapons fly at you in an instant, silver overtaking most of your vision. For a moment it felt like a reaper had gripped your shoulders. You whip your arms about, clearing the threat away from you and making a silvery cloud shield you from view. 

You move forward, dodging the blades that pierce through the cloud. They weren't moving very fast, Oikawa seemed to be reluctant to injure you at least. Another step and the air clears, where you find yourself only a foot away from Oikawa. He blinks and smiles a bit.

"That cloud may have shielded you from my sight, but it did the same for me too." He says and you spot the large chain that had coiled around him just before it suddenly unravels, crashing into you and sending you into a wall. 

'Hurts so much…' You think, the taste of blood coming over your tongue and making you spit out before sitting up, only to freeze as a trident pins your neck to the wall.

"Take a break." Oikawa hums, chain wrapping around your right wrist and pulling it away from you so you couldn't burst the trident. "This was a bad matchup for you. You're the only one that can stop my quirk but you're such an amateur." 

"I'm here too." Atsumu suddenly leaps onto his back, fox ears flattened on his head, claws poking Oikawa's throat threateningly. "Toss me away if ya want, but your throat will be coming with." He hisses out, baring his fangs. 

"Ah… So you two thought this through. You're quite a sneaky fox, I was watching out for you too, when did you get behind me?" Oikawa hums calmly, raising his hands in defeat.

"I might have had a hand in that." Kenma says, trying to get free of the chains before giving up. 

"You?" Oikawa raises an eyebrow at him.

"I can hide things from people's sight with my quirk. As long as I can see it I can hide it from you." Kenma responds.

"Good thing too because you looked straight at me twice while dealing with ___." Atsumu smirks before looking at you. "You okay over there ___?"

"Not really. But he hasn't loosened up, so don't let your guard down." You tell him, trying to free your right arm, fingers trying to brush the chain. 

"Oi. Let ___ go, you've hurt my teammate enough already." Atsumu growls, claws pressing into his skin more.

"My. For all the fighting you two do, you sure are worried about some little injuries." Oikawa chuckles. His brown eyes pierce Atsumu, making the other male tense. "What happens if I really hurt ___?" He breathes, a sword suddenly leaves his stomach, impaling the wall beside your head and making you and Atsumu flinch. A trickle of blood runs down from one of Atsumu's claws.

"The hell are you doing?" Atsumu growls.

"When we do our hero work, there's always a possibility that our teammates will get hurt. You can't go reacting every time. Because it takes your eyes off of everything else." Oikawa points out, a dozen blades pressing into Atsumu's back. You swallow, pinky finally touching the chain and making it burst. Oikawa blinks, looking at you as you burst the trident and lunge at him, arms snaking around him, bursting the blades at Atsumu's back and pulling Atsumu off toward Kenma. You tighten your arms around Oikawa, offering a smile.

"You also stopped looking at me." You hum. He bares his teeth in an annoyed smile.

"You just put yourself in the same situation as him. But I don't mind the embrace." He retorts, and you feel the blades in your back. 

"The difference is that if my hand slips, you go poof." You whisper. He pauses before looking at Atsumu as he frees Kenma.

"Alright. You win. Time for critique." Oikawa says grabbing your right arm and carefully freeing himself from your arms. 

"Eh?" Atsumu's eyebrows knit together, coming over to you with Kenma. Kenma quickly takes out a small first aid kit to tend to your cuts. 

"First off your entrance sucked. You were in a panic too easily for heroes. Your first attack was laughably sloppy. Had I been a villain you would all be dead." He places his hands on his hips. "You did pull together in the end but still too sloppy." He shakes his head. 

"We weren't expecting a fight. Sensei said this wasn't going to be a combat exercise." Atsumu defends.

"The best way to develop your quirks is through experience of fighting different opponents. You should always go in expecting a fight." Oikawa tells your group. "I'll admit though it was sloppy and reckless, your fast thinking did make this shorter than I imagined. But still you need to be more careful in your approach. If Kenma hadn't been here, your last attack attempt would've been stopped instantly." 

"Right… Thanks Kenma." Atsumu sighs.

"It was easy since you were in fox form." Kenma responds. Atsumu stiffens, giving you a side glance. 

"Still that really helped Kenma. I wasn't much help." You frown at your hand. 

"Don't look so down. In the end it was the threat of your quirk that stopped me. With Atsumu I could've made a dozen needles leave my neck and get rid of the threat of his claws." Oikawa tells you. "You're not going to be doing great right away. So don't think about what you couldn't do this time and just think of what you'll have to do next time to lessen your mistakes." 

"... Yes sir." You manage, looking at him. At the moment, he really did seem reliable and experienced. "Thank you."

"You sound like a pro… What's your hero name?" Atsumu asks.

"Metal King." Oikawa smirks.

"So cool…" Atsumu gasps.

"Damn straight." Oikawa raises his chin.

"So what now?" Kenma pipes up. 

"Ah. I lectured you guys quite a bit. Lets work on strengthening your quirks." He says sheepishly. "Then ___ can go get a hug from Kiyoko and heal." 

"I need a nap…" You yawn as you head to the dorms with the others.

"You guys look wrecked. Oikawa must be a tough teacher." Nishinoya comments.

"I'm going to have a fever tomorrow…" Kenma grumbles.

"Atsumu has been quiet too…" Ryuu notices, peering at the blond as he frowns at the ground.

"He looks mad." Nishinoya agrees.

"You knew…?" Atsumu suddenly says and you can feel his eyes on you. 

"... Yes. I've known since the first day of class." You answer, looking back at him. "So what?" 

"So what!? You… I…." He stammers, turning red before covering his face and groaning.

"I win." Osamu hums.

"What do I owe you?" You ask him while Atsumu's head snaps up, looking between you two. 

"I want brownies." Osamu breathes.

"I can make that." You nod. 

"You made a bet?!" Atsumu bursts angrily. 

"Yes." Osamu answers simply.

"I hate you both!" Atsumu declares, storming inside the dorms.

"How long do you think that'll last?" You look to Osamu.

"Not even a day." Osamu answers.

"... You two are mean." Ryuu comments.

"I'll make him some food too." You wave your hand. 

"I'll help you with that one." Osamu decides. 

"Can we get food too?" Nishinoya asks. You and Osamu look back before looking at each other.

"Sure." You both answer.

"Let me check on Sakusa and I'll be right down." You tell them as they cheer before heading upstairs. You go into your room, pausing to find new bedsheets and blankets on it along with a pillow. You blink before going to Sakusa's door and knocking. He opens the door, a towel around his waist and steam lifting off his skin. "Ah. Are you feeling better?" You ask as he shifts slightly, dabbing his cheek with another towel. 

"Yes. How was quirk training?" He inquires. hiding part of his face behind the face towel, pink blooming over his skin gradually. 

"Oikawa kicked our asses." You respond bluntly. "You sure you're feeling better? You look like you might have a fever still."

"... I'm going to get dressed before we continue this conversation." He murmurs before closing the door. 

"Oh… Sorry." You say awkwardly looking at the door. After a few moments the door opens again and he's fully dressed. 

"I am feeling better. I should be good to go to class tomorrow." He confirms.

"You sure? I have no problem taking more notes." You tell him. He huffs lightly behind his mask, for a moment you think he's smiling.

"We'll see in the morning. I'm going to stay in my room for the rest of the day." He murmurs.

"Okay. I'll be back with food then." You decide. "I might be a while though. Got a lot of baking to do suddenly."

"Huh?" His eyebrows furrow in confusion, so you explain, watching his face darken, eyes narrowing. "... What." He growls. 

"Yeah…" You press your fingertips together looking to the side. 

"You were cuddling him despite that." He leans forward with a glare. 

"He's like a teddy bear like that. I cant help myself. I love animals." You defend with a pout. He sighs, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"I don't even know how I'm going to process this. Or you." He grumbles before looking at you. "Anything else?"

"I missed you. Really wish I could've had you on my team today." You say tilting your head. He blinks before pulling on a glove and pushing your face away. 

"Stop that." He says as you chuckle. 

"I'll be back." You tell him heading down the hall. 

"Thanks for the warning." He calls before going back into his room. You go down to the kitchen, meeting Osamu and Bokuto who was eyeing the chocolates that Osamu had just pulled out.

"No Bokuto-senpai." Osamu frowns at him.

"Just a little bit?" Bokuto pouts.

"No." Osamu glares at him. 

"Okay okay." Bokuto grumbles moving away but spotting you and lighting up. "___! Are you making snacks? I'm so hungry!" He whines hugging you.

"I-I'll make you some." You manage.

"I knew you would! You're amazing!" He gushes, rubbing his cheek against yours. 

"You're such a softie, ___." Osamu teases. 

"Shut it." You huff moving to start baking. "Three pans should do right?" You look at Osamu.

"Yes." He nods. "I'll start on 'Tsumu's." He tells you. Before long the pans are in the oven and there is a small crowd outside of the kitchen peering in with hungry eyes.

"Is this going to happen every time I make snacks?" You huff.

"... Yes." Ryuu and Nishinoya nod.

"... Yeah okay." You chuckle shaking your head. "Has Atsumu come out of his room yet?" You ask. They shake their heads in response. "Okay. I'll go talk to him." You decide, looking to Osamu.

"Good luck." He tells you and you go back up stairs to Atsumu's door, pausing and looking at it. You scratch at it lightly, there's shuffling before there's a response close to the door.

"Go away ___." He says. You blink and scratch again in response. "No." Scratch. Scratch. "What the heck. Go away." The annoyance in his voice fading. 

"If anyone should be embarrassed here it's me." You huff putting your hands on your hips. "But to be honest if that was your way of getting to know me then I don't mind. If that's how your comfortable around me then that's fine too. I can understand that actually. Wish I could change into something else sometimes…. So open the door. We're friends whether you like it or not." 

The door cracks open and he peers at you carefully. "You sure?"

"I wouldn't be standing here if I wasn't." You reply bluntly. He opens the door more, seeming unsure. You offer a smile and pat his head. "Come on 'Tsumu. Osamu and I are making you a snack." You hum. He pauses before smiling.

"That already sounds good." He says before following you down the stairs. 

"Good timing." Osamu says, opening the oven to pull out the pans and setting them on the counter. 

"Smells good." Atsumu breathes. 

"Yep!" Nishinoya says, bouncing excitedly. 

"Calm down. Nishinoya, you guys get that pan. This one is Atsumu's, and this one is Osamu's… Maybe I should've made something for Sakusa…" You put a knuckle to your chin.

"There you go again…" Atsumu shakes his head. "He's still sick right? Just take him a bottle of water." 

"He needs food too." 

"Oh, I have an idea for that." Osamu says. "I actually started it." 

"Osamu, you're the best." You gasp. 

"You've been worrying about him all day. I felt I should help you a bit. Something tells me we would all get the same treatment." He smiles lightly, turning away. You help him finish making the food and take a plate up to Sakusa along with a brownie square. You tap the door with your foot and he soon opens the door, blinking at you before moving out of the way to let you in.

"Osamu started it. So it's going to be really good." You chime.

"I'll have to thank him later then." He says sitting at his desk as you set the food down on it. 

"Yeah. He is so much sweeter than his brother." You comment, cupping his forehead with your left hand. "You're still a bit warm." You comment. 

".... Gloves." He says, looking at your hand in alarm as your arm becomes numb and you soon can't move. "___…" He sighs, shaking his head and eating. "You keep getting too comfortable and that will keep happening." He warns. He soon finishes eating and stands up, wiping his mouth before growing through a drawer and pulling out a spray bottle and spraying your hand. "Its still incomplete. But it should help the paralysis wear off faster." He informs, leaning back against the desk and looking at you. He pauses, changing his gloves and starting to poke your cheeks, lightly pinching them. 

"Heh. I have the oddest urge to draw on your face right now."

'Don't you dare.' You think eyes narrowing slightly.

"Maybe I should do that to Atsumu, seems like a suitable punishment for using his quirk to cuddle up to you." He breathes smushing your face. The feeling was starting to return to your face now. 

"You're having too much fun." You manage. 

"Oh, it works…" He sits up, moving away to grab a notebook from his shelf and opening it to write it down. "You feel alright? Anything different?" He asks, coming over and looking you over.

"I still can't move." You respond trying to move. 

"Tell me when you can't feel." He says, trailing the end of his own from your cheek and down your neck.

"It stopped at my shoulder." You tell him. He nods, poking your arm. "... Okay I'm starting to feel that too." 

"So that time of the paralysis is cut significantly, but the time it takes for the effects to wear off is the same." He murmurs writing it down. "However this is only for my regular sweat…." He peers at another shelf that held categorized vials on it, some clearly different colors. 

"Wait. There's different types you sweat?" You gasp.

"Yes. They all have different effects, though there are a few I'm not sure of." He says lightly. 

"You never tested them?" You raise an eyebrow.

"I can't test them on myself." He shrugs. "And I don't know anyone that would willingly let me test--" He stops and suddenly fixes you with a stern gaze. "No."

"Huh?.... Oh! Yeah I would volunteer…" You scratch your cheek and look away.

"Seems you can move again." He comments writing in his notebook. "Don't concern yourself with my research. I can handle this myself."

"Alright. But I will help if you need it." You inform.

"I know… You've always been like that." He mutters.

"Hm?" You tilt your head at that.

"Nothing. Have you spoke to Tendo today? Its getting late." He states.

"No. I should though. I'm glad you're feeling better, have a good night." You say briskly, grabbing the plates and heading out. Sakusa looks at the door for a moment before looking at his notebook. 

"You too…"

After heading downstairs and helping with the dinner clean up, you try to call Tendo but there's no answer. 'Probably busy…' You think as you head to your room. 

"Um.." A voice sounds as you pass Atsumu's room. You look over to find him shifting on his feet awkwardly. "Is it okay if…" He trails off unsure. 

"Sure. I told you I don't mind. I'm kinda used to it already." You tell him knowingly. He relaxes and nods.

"Alright cool. You going to bed now?"

"Yeah. I'm sure Tendo will message me later."

*Meanwhile*

"baki baki ni ore, nani wo? kokoro wo da yo～" Tendo sings to himself, peering at his phone. "Oh, ___ called me…"

"We're not done here yet, put your phone away." Ushijima says, walking past him.

"I know that. But ___ is a worrywort, I'll just send a goodnight text." He hums typing briskly.

"What a mess you made Ushijima… Was this really necessary?" Semi complains.

"Of course. To bring about fertile soil, you must clear the field of pests." Ushijima breathes.

"Well too late for complaints now… Where were we?" Tendo peers about. "Oh right!... konagona ni kudake, nani wo? seishin wo da yo～"


	5. Bad Day

You woke up as Sakusa came into your room that morning. "Morning." You greet with a yawn, rubbing the fox's back.

"... Why is this still happening?" Sakusa inquires, pointing at Atsumu. 

"It's a habit now." You shrug before pausing as another bundle of fur shifts on the other side of you. You blink at the grey fox as he raises his head with a yawn. "Aw! 'Samu!" You gush hugging him and cuddling his cheek happily.

"Now there's two vermin in your bed." Sakusa sighs, shaking his head.

"Guys!" Ryuu calls, suddenly crashing into your door frame.

"What's wrong Ryuu?" You ask as he looks about your room seeming uneasy.

"Come see!" He waves you guys to follow him. You and Sakusa exchange a glance before following after him, downstairs and into the living room where many were watching the television with grave faces.

' This morning many in Okari are waking up to find their hero academy flattened to the ground. Along with a number of their young heroes to be- dead or severely injured. No one knows what has happened or how this all transpired without the local hero agency being alerted, but what we do know is, the villain Bloody Horizon has struck again.' The reporter says with a destroyed building in the background.

"How many dead?" Nishinoya asks quietly.

"Thirty dead, a hundred more in critical condition." Oikawa answers with a heavy tone. He then turns to everyone. 

"Listen up, since Okari is our closest neighbor I'm going to talk to the headmaster about going over and assisting with the clean up. And I also want to make curfew an hour earlier for the time being. If that villain is in the area we need to keep a close eye on everyone. So no leaving campus alone…. If you want to help with clean-up, remain here after breakfast. If not, go to class and focus and getting stronger." He states before going out with Iwaizumi close behind.

A silence falls over the room after that, no one moving as the news shows clips of the destruction again. You didn't even feel hungry now, you doubted anyone did. Sakusa looks about the room, eyes falling on you for a few moments. 

"Those feelings of regret and guilt for those fallen will do nothing but kill your drive. There is nothing else to be done except for what needs to be done. If you feel awful then get ready to help with the clean up." He says loudly, turning to head to the kitchen. "Then focus on becoming stronger so you will not join them too soon in the future." He adds going into the kitchen. 

You look after him, his cold rationality was a bit uplifting. "Alright, lets get some working clothes on there's going to be a lot of rubble to clean up." Nishinoya says, straightening up.

"I'll get my goggles, there might be people they missed." Kenma murmurs going out. 

"We should grab the metal covers for our claws then." Osamu says to his brother.

"Right. It'll be bad if we ruin our claws." Atsumu agrees, going out. You peer after them before going to the kitchen.

"So, what are you thinking for breakfast?" You ask Sakusa, moving to his side.

"With the lack of appetite, something simple should do. Just going to need the energy for the clean up." He answers. You nod and help him once you get an idea of what was going on.

As you and Sakusa finish and take the food to the dining hall, Oikawa and Iwaizumi return. 

"Thanks you two." Iwaizumi nods, sitting down to eat.

"We got the clear to head over and assist. Make sure you stay with the group when we head out. We'll be doing a headcount before we leave." Oikawa announces as more people come in to eat.

"Yessir."

~*~*

You survey what is left of Okari High School and shift. "This school was a lot bigger than ours…" You murmur as everyone starts to scatter to help with the clean up. 

"Don't dwell on it too much." Sakusa says, gloved hand touching your back briefly. 

"Right. I'll go to the higher spots and work my way down." You decide, moving up to the top of the rubble to start clearing it with your quirk. It doesn't take long for you to uncover a body. You stop, swallowing slightly before straightening up. "Found a deceased." You call. A pro hurries over to you, looking at the body before touching your shoulder lightly.

"Alright. We'll handle this, go to a different spot." He says lightly.

"Y-Yes." You nod, moving away and forcing down a lump in your throat, telling yourself it was part of being a hero. 

You start clearing another pile, uncovering another body halfway through. A pro comes over and you're sent to another spot, heart feeling heavier and heavier. 'There's really no one left alive here… We're all about the same age too…' The thoughts were sounding louder and more distressed.

"Aone! Aone!" A child cries, running onto the destruction, searching about frantically.

"Kota! You can't be here." A guy your age with brown hair comes to retrieve him.

"No! He's here Futakuchi! I know he is. See!?" The boy raises his hands and an ice crystal forming between them. "I can still make ice!"

"Kota… I don't think-" Futakuchi pauses, looking at you as you come to the boy.

"Ice?" You breathe distractedly, touching it. 

"Yes! Aone has to be alive! He's my strong cousin! He's gonna be a hero!" The boy declares, tears forming in his eyes as he shakes slightly. "Please… Help me find him." He sniffs. You nod and look about, spotting Kenma and hurrying over to him. 

"Kenma. Are you using your heat vision?" You ask.

"Not anymore, the corpses don't show up on it." He says, looking at you, eyes green with the whites black.

"Can it show ice? Apparently there was someone with an ice quirk here." You whisper. He pauses, eyes widening and changing to blue and red before looking over at something.

"It's not a leak…" He breathes, rushing over a pile until he was looking straight down and pointing at something beneath. "Here! About three feet down!" He tells you urgently. 

"Alright. Nishinoya! I need you." You call as you hurry to Kenma's side.

"What's up? You find something?" Nishinoya inquires, joining you.

"I think so. Can you use your wind to clear the particles I send up? I need to be able to see what I touch." You request.

"No problem I got ya." He nods and you start. With the breeze Nishinoya sent over the rubble you steadily clear the way. Three feet down and you come to an ice block with someone within. 

"He's here…" You hesitantly touch the ice, crystal like particle mist getting swept away by the wind as you fully uncover the large guy. You swallow, pulling your right hand away as you look over him. He didn't seem hurt. You reach your left hand to check his pulse when Kota comes onto the rubble and spots him.

"Aone!" He cries out and the large teen's eyes snap open, locking onto you just before you're sent flying by an ice pillar to the torso. 

You crash into a nearby pile, holding your chest and stomach and coughing in pain as you roll onto your side. "___!" Atsumu and Osamu run up from a nearby pile. "Are you okay!?" 

"He's… Alive." You cough, smiling in relief as you hear Kota wailing in relief as Aone stands up. 

"Wow. Someone lived?" Atsumu murmurs looking over as Osamu helps you up. "That's great!" 

"Yeah. It is." You chuckle in pain.

"Oh! Ah- Kiyoko-San! ___ needs healing!" Atsumu gasps, hurrying to get the medic.

"You okay? Lean on me if you want." Osamu breathes as Kota leads Aone and Futakuchi over.

"Thank you for believing me! Alone is alright." Kota tells you cheerfully.

"No problem. I'm glad he's in good shape." You smile at the boy before looking at Aone. "But you still need to see the pros. They're going to want to hear everything you know." 

He gives a nod, frowning slightly before bowing. "...Sorry…"

"Huh? No that's okay, nothing compared to taking on the Dorm President." You wave it off. "Finding you alive is good enough for me." You add. He straightens and nods. A pro soon leading them off site. Kiyoko comes over right after to heal you up before you can continue to clear the rubble. By the time it was done, you had uncovered five more bodies. The others had similar findings. Some were lucky to find wounded. 

You stand with your dormmates, eating and hydrating before the journey back to the dorm. 

"___, your phone is going off." Sakusa says, pulling you from your thoughts. 

"Oh. Must be Tendo, it's gone off a few times today…" You murmur, pulling out your phone and answering it. "Hey Tendo. Sorry. We've been helping at Okari all day." You answer, moving away from the group.

'Eh? Really? That sucks… You okay?'

"I… Yeah I'm fine… Just… Rough…" You breathe rubbing your neck. 

'Are you heading back to your dorm soon? I'll stop by, sounds like you could use a hug.'

"Yeah… But it seems dangerous right now so maybe it's best you stay on campus." 

'Mmmm… Nope I'm coming to see you.' 

"Tendo… Okay. I'll see you soon then." You breathe.

'See you soon.' He hums and hangs up. You go back to the group, putting your phone back in your pocket as Oikawa and Iwaizumi count everyone.

"Looks like everyone is here. Lets get on the bus and head home." Oikawa nods and everyone piles onto the bus. You end up sitting next to Kuroo, who seemed exhausted and uncharacteristically solem. He peers at you as you watch him, before you reach over and rest his head on your shoulder. He pauses before sighing heavily and leaning into your warmth, hiding his face in your shoulder. You lean your head on his as the bus leaves there, closing your eyes to rest for a bit. 

You get off the bus, Kuroo and Nishinoya leaning on you quietly as everyone makes their way to the dorm. You walk in as Tendo leaves the kitchen, blinking at the group sympathetically.

"I got you guys take-out if you're hungry." He says, opening his arms to you. You go over and hug him, hiding your face in his chest as you start to shake. "There there…. You did good today…" He says softly, rubbing your back. 

'Too many dead… And for what?' You think squeezing him. 

A few hands come over your back all understanding your feelings. Nishinoya hugs your side, hiding his face. Tendo peers at all of them before tightening his arms around you. 

"Not everyone will be saved ___, all you can do is to help the ones remaining find peace. I don't know why this happened, but all you can do is go forward. You can carry the ghosts in your heart if you want. But that might be a heavy burden." He says lightly, pulling away to peer at your face with a head tilt, smiling lightly. "Okay?" 

"... Okay. You're right." You nod, relaxing a bit. He rubs your cheeks a bit.

"Alright. Let's eat, then watch something happy okay?" He hums. 

"Yeah alright." You agree.

You didn't eat much didn't seem like anyone did, but everyone thanked Tendo anyway. Tendo was trying to lighten the mood, gathering everyone in the living room to watch a few comedy movies. That did seem to lift everyone's spirits at least. For a little bit the long day seemed to melt away. Then Tendo had to return to his school.

"Be careful please." You frown slightly.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He assures, patting your head. "I'll message you when I get back and make sure you double up your gloves before bed." 

"... Hold on Tendo. We'll escort you back." Iwaizumi says coming forward and touching your shoulder. "That'll put you at ease right?" He glances at you.

"I'll go too." Bokuto says, out of everyone he seemed the most down.

"As Dorm President I also feel obligated to make sure our guest gets back safe." Oikawa chimes in. Tendo's eyebrows raise at them before he chuckles lightly.

"Ah must be a hero thing." He shakes his head peering at you. "Alright fine. Bunch of worrywarts. Lets go." He says leading the small group out. 

"Thanks." You tell Iwaizumi as you walk together.

"No problem. I think we could use the night air." He says, glancing at Bokuto. You follow his gaze before falling into step with Bokuto. Even his hair seemed down as he looks at the ground with a frown. You touch his back lightly and he glances at you.

"I couldn't find any alive… They were all dead." He murmurs. You frown rubbing his back trying to think of something to cheer him up.

"Well… You saved me- twice. If it hadn't been for you I wouldn't have been able to save Atsumu, or Aone. So technically you did save someone today. Thank you Bokuto." You smile a bit. He blinks at you, eyes gradually lighting up a smile returning to his lips.

"So whoever you save I also helped save." He concludes.

"Yes." You nod. He chuckles and hugs you tightly before moving ahead to chat with Tendo. Iwaizumi and Oikawa both give you a thumbs up. 

Arriving outside of Kuri Academy, Tendo stops to hug you warmly. "You picked a good school ___," He murmurs. 

"Yeah. I did good with my random pick." You chuckle as he pulls away, taking your right hand briefly. 

"Be careful ___ Bloody Horizon seems to be targeting Hero schools specifically." He warns quietly, a grave expression coming over his face briefly before he leans forward and touches his forehead to yours. "Let me know when you return." He adds before looking at the other second years. "Thank you for taking care of ___, I'll be stopping by soon." He waves before heading past the gates. 

"Alright. Let's head back." Oikawa says turning to lead the way back.

"Tooru Oikawa." A deeper voice sounds from the gates, making Oikawa's lip curls and his eyes roll briefly. You look back as a large guy steps off campus, Tendo hanging by smiling A bit. 

"What do you want, Ushijima?" Oikawa questions, turning back. "And don't call me by my full name."

"Come to Kuri Academy. It won't be long before we become the top hero school in the country." Ushijima tells him. "Your quirk is wasted at Raizu." 

"Not this shit again." Iwaizumi mutters. 

"Wasted? I'm not sure what you mean by that. I'm still going to be the number one hero no matter what." Oikawa shrugs.

"Raizu is a school that will spawn villains. It's better for hero quirks to go to Kuri Academy." Ushijima states, gaze sweeping to you for a moment. You blink, opening your mouth but before you could even react, Oikawa steps in front of you.

"We only have heroes at Raizu. Your quirk discrimination has no proof. So back off." Oikawa says with a cold glare.

"I didn't say anything that isn't true. It's in Raizu's history after all." Ushijima points out. "I will apologize if I struck a nerve. I meant no offense."

"I'm not coming to Kuri Academy. Now if you'll excuse us." Oikawa turns about again, nudging you to take the lead. You just nod, turning and moving on with Iwaizumi and Bokuto flanking you. 

"You stepped on a land mine there Wakatoshi." Tendo comments, stepping beside Ushijima as they watch your group leave. "They're all a bit protective of my little ___." He smiles cheerfully. 'Good for you ___…'

"I see that… Too bad for the quirk. ___ would've been welcomed here too." Ushijima says, turning and walking back onto campus. Tendo blinks, glancing after him as his smile falls and he looks toward the disappearing group again. 

"Too bad for that good nature actually…" He mutters as the wind kicks up from behind, sweeping his hair down just above his eyes. "But I'm sure that'll unravel soon. My dear friend."

You shiver slightly as the wind blows past You. "Ah… It's going to be a chilly night…" You murmur looking around the dark streets. Not far from the dorms now. 

"You need extra blankets?" Iwaizumi asks.

"No I think I'll be fine." You assure.

"You can always come sleep in my bed if you get cold." Bokuto says thoughtfully.

"No no no." Oikawa shakes his head.

"Fine. I'll go to your room." Bokuto decides.

"That's the same thing. And it's still a no." Oikawa scowls.

"Then what is your idea?" Iwaizumi gives him a look.

"As Dorm President it's my job to ensure the comfort of the dorm occupants. So ___ can come to my room." Oikawa states.

"... Isn't Kuroo's window still broken? You never offered him to go to your room." Bokuto tilts his head.

"That's because Kuroo looks like he snores." 

"No he doesn't. His face is always in his pillow." Bokuto says. 

"Guys. I don't need to go to someone's room. I'm fine." You intervene. 

"Those were both bad ideas anyway. You're better off going to mine if there's a problem." Iwaizumi states. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bokuto asks.

"Yeah Iwa-chan that's rude." Oikawa huffs. You chuckle a bit but the moment is interrupted by a nearby explosion that makes everyone freeze, looking toward a nearby neighborhood. "Bokuto."

"On it." Bokuto says, taking off his shirt so his wings could come out, taking flight. 

"Lets go, ___ stay with me and listen to what I say." Iwazumi orders as the three of you run after Bokuto. 

"Yes." You respond, keeping up the best you could. 

You come upon a blazing house, heat it released, making you and Oikawa stop. Bokuto circles above. 

"I'm going in. Bokuto! You see anyone in there?" Iwaizumi calls.

"Two on the second floor over here." Bokuto points. "I don't see anyone else." He says, flying lower and focusing on the house as Iwaizumi rushes in 

"Is he going to be okay?" You gasp.

"Yeah, he has a fire quirk." Oikawa assures watching the flames. "Be ready though. If that building starts to come down we'll need your quirk." You both look back as the neighbors start to rush over. "Everyone stay back please." He requests, chains coming out to secure the area. 

"Bokuto! Catch!" Iwaizumi calls from a window before tossing someone out. Bokuto swoops in, catching the boy before bringing him to you. Iwaizumi leaps out with a teen, hurrying over. "They said the mom should be in there, I'm going back in." He tells Oikawa before running back in. 

"I'm sowwy! I'm sowwy!" The boy cries, clinging to your shirt. 

"Shh." You pat his back. "Are you hurt?" 

"N-no…" He sniffs.

"It's… not your fault." His older brother coughs, reaching over and patting his head. 

"B-But-" The boy tries to argue, a crash makes you all stiffen and look toward the house.

"It's going to fall in." Oikawa gasps.

"I don't see Iwaizumi." Bokuto says.

"Mom's room is upstairs." The teen says. You swallow, passing the boy to Oikawa before taking off your glove and rushing in. Amongst the fire you find your way to the staircase where Iwaizumi was trying to lift part of the ceiling off an unconscious woman. You hurry over, touching it to make it burst.

"___!" Iwaizumi coughs. 

"Come on!" You tell him as he scoops her up. There's a cracking sound and another part of the roof falls over your escape route. "Shit." You hiss. 

"Lets just charge through together." He tells you. You give him an uneasy look. "You can do it. I'm here with you." He says, eyes burning into yours. You swallow and nod, pulling him close to your side and rushing forward, right hand swiping out and clearing the way until you reach the outside. Another loud cracking sounds and Iwaizumi tosses the woman to Oikawa who catches her with his chains. Iwaizumi pulls you under him as the building collapses, flames lashing out over his back. 

"___! Iwaizumi!" Bokuto calls worriedly. The flames pull away and you look over Iwaizumi's shoulder.

"I'm okay!" You call back. "You okay?" You ask Iwaizumi quickly.

"Yeah. Just some burns." He assures, rigidly standing up and helping you to your feet.

You nod, carefully helping him back to the others as a fire truck and ambulance pull up. Oikawa touches yours and Iwaizumi's shoulder. "You both did good." He breathes.

After you make the reports with the police, and Iwaizumi's burns are tended to, you all finally return to the dorms. 

"They're back!" Nishinoya calls before crashing into you with a hug. "What took you so long!?... You smell like smoke." He sniffs at you. 

"There was a house fire nearby." You explain. 

"Oh. Hero work! Good job!" He smiles and relaxes.

"Are any of you hurt? I'll get Kiyoko." Asahi says worriedly.

"Iwaizumi has some burns." You tell him.

"You do too." Iwaizumi reminds you.

"They're not as bad as yours, the paramedics were not even worried about them." You point out.

"You should still get them tended to." He retorts.

"Yeah yeah." You say waving your hand.

"Do they hurt?" Sakusa asks, coming over.

"Not really." You tell him looking to the side as Kiyoko rushes in, pulling you and Iwaizumi close to her. Iwaizumi presses his lips together, looking away from her. 

"Thank you Shimizu…" He mutters.

"I'm glad neither of you are badly hurt." She says, rubbing your head.

"Of course not. I have good senpais." You respond, nudging Iwaizumi. He smirks a bit, nudging you back.

"Pretty sure you saved me this time." He scoffs.

"I saved another one!" Bokuto cheers rushing upstairs. "Hey! Akaashi!"

"Glad to see Bokuto back." Kuroo comments. 

"There ___, all healed." Kiyoko hums. 

"Thank you." You give a slight bow before going to Sakusa. "It's been a long day." You tell him.

"You're not wrong. Let's go." Sakusa breathes, guiding you upstairs.

"You're going to need a new shirt," Atsumu comments, poking at a few holes.

"I'll give you one of mine." Osamu assures.

"Huh? That's okay this isn't my only shirt." You tell him.

"... I already picked out the shirt, I'll go get it." Osamu says moving to his room. 

"Me too." Atsumu pipes up, going to his room. 

"... Why is everyone being so nice to me?" You whisper.

"Aren't they just treating you like you treat them?" Sakusa points out.

"You think so? I just… Never…" You trail off looking down.

"I get it." He hums watching you before looking away. "But I think you deserve it. Sleep well." He adds before going into his room..

"Goodnight." You call after him before opening your door and going in as the twins return, both offering up a shirt. Osamu's had a cute onigiri icon on it and Atsumu's had some odd joke on it. You take the shirts, smile coming to your lips. "I don't need them… But I love them so I'll take them." You chuckle before gathering clothes and a towel. "Gonna take a shower go ahead and get comfortable." You add going into the bathroom.

When you come back out the two foxes are curled up on your bed. You crawl on, petting their heads before moving under the covers, cuddling up to the grey fox and nuzzling his fur. "Goodnight 'Tsumu, 'Samu." Yoh breathe before drifting off.

Piles of rubble lay out before you. Moving between them you clear the rubble. After a while the ground becomes soggy and wet. The rubble you move away revealing bodies, making you feel sick. Then the faceless bodies start to look all too familiar as the sun peers over a blood red horizon, revealing the piled up corpses of your dormmates all around you.

"The Bloody Horizon is coming." Tendo's voice sounds behind you and you turn around as he smiles. "You can't win." He says, taking your right hand and bursting into a cloud of blood particles.

"No!" You cry out, sitting up and clasping your hands together shakily as the foxes jump to their feet looking at you in alarm. You pant, looking between them before relaxing. Just a dream. You bring your knees to your chest, hiding your face against your knees. "Sorry." You sniff.

"It's alright, just a nightmare." Osamu assures, rubbing your back softly.

"Yeah.. It's okay now, everything's alright." Atsumu whispers. You nod but can't relax.

"Can you pass me my phone please?" You manage.

"Uh, sure, here." He murmurs handing it to you. Taking it, you call Tendo, as you always do when there's a bad nightmare.

'I knew I should've stayed there tonight.' Tendo says as he answers the phone. 'It was a bad one right?' He guesses lightly. You confirm lightly, leaning on one of the twins as you describe the dream quietly. For a moment after, Tendo is silent. 'Losing good things again.' He says, making you pause. 'This is a dream you get when you're happy. Remember? Its just changed a bit from last time. That fear is still there, haunting you.'

"You're right. It is like the last one…" You breath, rubbing your eyes. "Just that fear again huh?..."

'Sounds like it. But they're all still there. Nothing has happened. Just keep that in mind. If that doesn't help, go wake up Sakusa.' Tendo tells you. 'I'm glad you called. But you should go back to sleep if you can.' 

"Okay, I'll try… Thanks Tendo. Sorry for waking you."

'You didn't, I was waiting for this.' He assures. 'Goodnight ___.'

"Goodnight." You yawn before hanging up.

"Talk about nasty nightmares." Atsumu mutters.

"You want me to get you a drink?" Osamu offers.

"No. I'm okay now. I just need two more gloves." You tell him, reaching over Atsumu and grabbing the gloves from your drawer. "Sorry I woke you two up."

"Its fine. If it were me I would have crawled into your bed." Atsumu shrugs.

"You already do that." You and Osamu point out together.

"Would you two stop talking in unison? I'm the twin here."

"No."

*Meanwhile*

"Your friend sure picks bad times to call." Semi comments.

"___ had a nightmare. Bloody Horizon is really messing with their head." Tendo hums, dancing a bit. 

"Why do you look so happy about that?" Shirabu frowns at him.

"I haven't gotten a nightmare call in a long time. ___ still loves me!" Tendo gushes. "I should get more pictures of them soon!"

"Oh, guess it's a doting best friend thing." Semi comments. "I kinda want to meet ___." 

"Me too. As much as Tendo is always going on and on…" Reon agrees.

"Can you blame me? ___ is the cutest! And all mine! Or… Was." He stops and tilts his head with a hum. 

"Ushijima's back." Shirabu says, making them all look over as he approaches. "So, what did the headmaster say?"

"We need more practice. Lets go to the courses."

"Aw? But its midnight!" Tendo sighs.

"You'll have tomorrow off." Ushijima responds.

"You're really persuasive."


	6. FireCrow Enters

"___!" Oikawa chimes coming into your room and pausing, blinking at you and the foxes. ".... Why are you two sleeping in here?" He murmurs, tilting his head and poking at you. "___, you and I are being summoned." He says when your eyes crack open, blinking at him sleepily. 

"...Summoned?" You yawn in confusion.

"Yeah. I don't know why so hurry and get up." He tells you and peers at the foxes as they wake, looking at him. "You two are on cleaning duty today. And breakfast duty." He adds to the foxes before heading out.

"Whaat? Why?" Atsumu protests, taking his normal form. He gives a grumpy, half asleep pout, ears folded back.

"Probably because we were sleeping here." Osamu yawns, sitting up as he changes form. "Did you sleep well after everything?" He asks you, placing a hand on your head. 

"Yeah thanks to you guys." You smile rubbing the sleep from your eye. He smiles lightly at that before getting up and stretching.

"I'll go start breakfast so hurry back." He tells you before heading out.

"Okay." You call after him before looking at Atsumu. "Your brother's going to make a great husband some day." You comment before getting out of bed and grabbing your uniform.

"What? I can cook too." Atsumu scoffs. 

"I wasnt just referring to the cooking." You tell him.

"Oh yeah? What else then?" He questions, tail lashing. 

"... I just decided not to tell you." You hum, going into the bathroom to change.

"What the heck ___!?" He says in annoyance.

"You're so loud." Sakusa peers in with a glare. "How much longer do you plan to stay in ___'s bed?"

"Huh? What's that? A jealous cactus?" Atsumu raises an eyebrow at him with a smug smile. 

"Hah?" Sakusa's glare intensifies. You leave your bathroom, smoothing out your uniform. 

"Morning Sakusa." You greet, stretching a bit.

"Good morning. You're ready early." He comments.

"Oikawa says we're being summoned to the headmaster's office." You respond, "I'll be back soon."

"Good luck." He and Atsumu say after you before giving each other annoyed looks.

You head down stairs, meeting Oikawa at the main door. "Alright, lets go." He chimes leading the way. He hums to himself as a stretches cheerfully. "Last night sucked for sleep." He murmurs. 

"Yeah it kinda did." You agree.

"Ah so you agree. You should join me for extra training later." He says. 

"... Getting my ass kicked by you again does not sound like fun." You deadpan, making him laugh.

"Don't be like that I wasnt even that rough the first time." He waves his hand.

"You are not helping convince me." You point out. 

"But… I'll be gentle." He pouts. "Come on, train with me."

"... Sakusa comes too. He needs to make up for the day he missed." You decide.

"...." His nose wrinkles, cheeks puffing out. "Fine." 

"Thanks." You beam. "I'll tell him when we get back." You reach the headmaster's office with him, pausing as two familiar faces look over. "Aone? Fu… Futakuchi? You tilt your head.

"Hm? You remember my name?" Futakuchi comments in surprise as Aone gives you a slight bow. 

"You two… What's this about?" Oikawa looks to the headmaster.

"These two wish to start attendance at Raizu. They named your underclassmen so I will move them into dorm one starting tomorrow." The Headmaster answers.

"Wait… You two are still-" You look at the two students in shock.

"I was with my sister in the hospital when the attack happened. Aone is the only one of my friends that survived. Everyone else." Futakuchi falls silent, gritting his teeth before meeting your gaze. "We won't let it happen again." 

Aone nods in agreement, frowning in determination. You and Oikawa share a glance at that. "Welcome to Raizu." Oikawa says as you give a bow. "What year are you guys?"

"First years." Futakuchi answers.

"Alright then ___ will give you a tour. You're welcome to attend class as well." Oikawa pats your back smiling.

"... Such a thoughtful Dorm President…" You comment before motioning for the new additions to follow you both back to the dorm.

"Raizu's small. Is there enough room for us?" Futakuchi inquire.

"Yep. And if not, we have a pair of twins that we can move into ___'s room." Oikawa pats your back again.

"You better not. I'll fight you." You send him a frown.

"And you'll lose again." He chuckles in amusement.

Returning to the dorm, you and Oikawa lead the two to the dining hall as Osamu and Atsumu pass out plates. 

"Everyone, we have two new arrivals to Dorm One! Futakuchi and Aone! They've come from Okari so take them in and show them around." Oikawa informs everyone.

"Welcome!"

"___, your plate is next to Sakusa's." Osamu tells you.

"Hurry. Bokuto keeps eyeing it." Atsumu adds. 

"It looks tastier than mine." Bokuto says as you sit between him and Sakusa, starting to eat while Nishinoya strikes up (or tries) a conversation with Aone and Futakuchi. 

"Osamu's like… The best cook ever." You hum.

"Won't argue there." Sakusa hums. Bokuto hums, peering at your food still. You glance at him and huff, offering him a bite and making him light up, taking a bite cheerfully. 

"Were you right?" You ask him.

"It is sweeter." He licks his lips, leaning his head on your shoulder.

"Think so?" You hum eating.

"Bokuto there is more food in the kitchen. Don't take ___'s food." Osamu sighs. 

"I don't want to lose my seat though." Bokuto frowns.

"You're too close." Sakusa says as Bokuto puts more weight on you.

"Sorry." You tell him, leaning back against Bokuto to give Sakusa space.

"You two look like you're having fun. I'm joining in." Kuroo says, leaning on the both of your backs. You chuckle while Bokuto offers him some of your food. "Mm that's really good." 

"Right? Osamu is spoiling ___!" Bokuto says.

"I am not." Osamu objects. 

"What are you guys doing? Huddling up?" Oikawa asks.

"If we're huddling up I want in." Atsumu gets up.

"Class starts in ten minutes! Get going!" Iwaizumi orders. 

"Yessir." 

"All of you were a big help yesterday, the pros have told me they appreciated having you there." Takeda tells the class with a smile. "And thanks to having no class yesterday. I was able to find a combat hero." He adjusts his glasses with a proud smile.

"Really? So we start combat training now?" Nishinoya gasps.

"Finally." Atsumu drums on his desk with some excitement.

"He's gathered some local heroes to test you all. So get suited up, you have a very active day ahead of you." 

"Yes!" Atsumu, Nishinoya and Ryuu cheer, jumping up as the suitcases are brought in.

You grab yours and head into the locker room to change. Tendo had helped you design it, so it had some elements he deemed necessary since you had spent thirty minutes staring at the blank paper with no idea what to make. In the end you were happy with how it turned out. 

After changing, you head to the courses, meeting up with Akaashi and Kenma. Akaashi's hero suit seemed modeled after black ops uniforms. Kenma's suit has a white cat eared helmet with a green eyeshield, two guns mounted on his arms. "These are heavy…" Kenma mutters.

"I can make you something lighter if you want. But ammo will always be heavy." Akaashi tells him, looking you over. "You look a bit dangerous."

"Eh. My horror loving friend helped with the design." You shrug sheepishly.

"It suits you." Kenma breathes.

"Thanks. You both look good. Very heroic." You chuckle.

"Thank you." They both responds before Akaashi peers past you.

"Sakusa sure looks tough." He remarks and you look back as Sakusa approaches. He had a metal filter mask over his nose and mouth. Small metal canisters wrapped around his forearms, silver tubes run from the canisters to certain spots of his suit. He wore a black armored getup beneath the tubes, and black combat boots with spikes along the heel. 

"That looks heavy…" Kenma comments quietly. 

"You look so cool Sakusa." You gasp as he joins you.

"You don't look bad yourself." He responds. 

"The twins picked something comfortable." Akaashi says tilting his head.

"Looks too hot." Kenma breathes as you look over to find the twins in fiery yukatas, Atsumu sporting warm colors and Osamu sporting cool colors. 

"Matching suits huh?" Akaashi hums.

"Yeah. We kept fighting over the designs so Grandma picked." Atsumu admits.

"She'll be sad if we don't keep to the design." Osamu adds.

".... That's actually really cute of you guys." You smile. Osamu looks away while Atsumu huffs, pushing your face away.

"What about you? That looks like Tendo had a hand in it." Atsumu responds. 

"He did! I thought it came out great too! It's like I'm taking my best friend with me." You beam.

"How sweet." Akaashi comments while Atsumu scowls.

"Wow! Everyone looks great!" Nishinoya joins them wearing a white and green shrine guardian outfit. "Ryuu looks badass too!" He adds as Ryuu comes over wearing scaly armor with ivory spikes sticking out over his shoulders and down his spine. 

"I feel great! So glad we're finally wearing these!" Ryuu gasps.

"Right?" Atsumu chuckles.

"Are you all ready now?" An unfamiliar voice asks as the rest of the class joins up. Everyone looks over at the blond man, he wore black feathery armor with fiery designs that danced over it. 

"Who…" Atsumu trails off.

"FireCrow!" Nishinoya bursts. "He helps run a convenience store in town.

"And he's a hero?" Osamu asks.

"The local heroes can't gain fame without an agency." FireCrow responds.

"That sucks." Atsumu comments.

"Eh. Just means I got time to help you kids out. Now lets see… You three go in the first room. Tell me your names as you go by." He says pointing to you, Akaashi and Ryuu. You introduce yourself as you enter the course. You quickly check about warily for an enemy, taking off your glove.

"Are you okay?" Akaashi inquires watching you.

"Sorry… Oikawa ambushed us the last time I went in one of these.

"That dude is mean." Ryuu comments. "But hey looks like we're all working together again." He smiles looking between you and Akaashi.

"Yes. Here, in case we get separated." Akaashi holds out his hand to you. You hold yours under his and three earpieces drop out of a circular slot in his palm. He and Ryuu takes one, putting them in their ear. You put yours in, looking over Akaashi as he reaches behind his back a rifle leaving a slot in his back. "Alright, lets begin." He murmurs, loading it with a few tranquilizers.

"... What a badass…" You and Ryuu whisper watching him. 

"... I haven't done anything yet." Akaashi raises an eyebrow at both of you.

"We'll follow you anywhere." You breathe. 

"Yeah. Lead the way man." Ryuu grins, scales and claws coming out. 

"Alright." Akaashi says moving forward. You and Ryuu move after him, peering around as Akaashi leads the way calmly. The course's design reminds you of an old abandoned city, vines and plants growing through the concrete, overtaking buildings. 

"Doesn't look like anyone's here." Ryuu mutters peering about. 

"Don't let-" Akaashi breaks off as the grass patch in front of him suddenly grows, grabbing his rifle and tearing it from his grasp, tossing it away. You swipe at the grass, making it burst before it can do anything else.

"Plantmancer huh?" Ryuu says, claws lashing out as the plants grow and reach for them. 

"In that case." Akaashi catches two long daggers that drop from the slots in his forearms. "You need one?" He asks you.

"Nope, my suit is equipped," You flex your left arm, blade coming out of the wrist of your suit. 

"That's handy." He comments before turning about and slashing through the vegetation that rushed at him. You press your lips together briefly, looking away as Ryuu spews flames from his mouth to rid himself of the persistent plants that grabbed for him.

"You can breathe fire!?" You gasp as a shadow comes over you. 

"Yeah! Look out!" He alerts you as you look over at the plant golem.

"Hi-" The plant golem suddenly swings and Akaashi pulls you out of the way. You touch the arm as it passes, making it burst. 

"Oh. Sorry, I did something unnecessary." Akaashi murmurs.

"I wasn't expecting it to move so fast. So you did help." You assure. Ryuu moves forward, spewing flames at the golem.

"We need to…" Ryuu coughs up smoke. "Find the *cough* villain." 

"You okay Ryuu?" You ask in concern.

"Looks like he's choking." Akaashi says looking at him. More golems form around your group. "Right… The villain… I'm going to get a better vantage point. Can you two cover me?"

"Leave it to us." You nod while Ryuu gives a thumb up as his coughing finally dies down. Akaashi nods, rushing through a pair of golems which you quickly move to burst, the green clouds covering Akaashi's departure. You and Ryuu exchange a glance, moving to face the other golems. "I got left."

"I'll take the right." Ryuu smirks and you both rush the golems. You burst through one but the other grabs your arm as Ryuu slashes through some. You use your left arm blade to free your right arm before bursting the golem. 

"How are you doing Ryuu?" You ask, checking on him.

"Doing good! Can't do fire anymore unless I want to put a hole in my throat." He responds.

"Ouch! Are you sure you're alright?" You ask in concern as the remaining plants in the area start to merge.

"Yeah… Shouldnt we stop that?" He points at the golem.

"I kinda want to fight it though. Be better than a bunch of little ones again." You shrug. 

"Good point." Ryuu agrees as you both move closer to each other. 

'I got visual on the villain. Going to take the shot.' Akaashi sounds in your ear.

"Go for it." You smile, raising your arm as the golem swings at you and Ryuu. You burst the arm as it suddenly stops. 

"Akaashi is awesome." Ryuu comments as the golem falls apart. 

"Right? He gives off that cool pro vibe." You nod in agreement.

'I can hear you…' Akaashi murmurs.

"We're being honest. Where is the villain? We should tie 'm up right?" Ryuu asks.

'I just shot a net at him. He's on the other side of the convenience store near you two.' Akaashi says. You and Ryuu quickly move around the corner to find the enemy wrapped up in a metal net. 

"Talk about a bad matchup with us huh?" Ryuu comments as you both lean over the guy. 

"You're right." The guy coughs, making you both freeze. "But I haven't lost… Activate, Ground Zero." He smiles, tree branches and briar bursting off of him, smashing you through a wall. You're pinned to another wall, tree branches pinning both arms. 

'___! Ryuu! Are you okay?!' Akaashi asks quickly.

"Ow." You cough, felt like you had a few gashes, back aching. 

"That was our bad." Ryuu's voice sounds on the other side of the thicket. 

"Ah… That's all I got. Can't move anymore." The other guy says.

"Well, feels like you won here." You comment.

"Yeah. I've learned that lesson." Ryuu agrees. "Don't suppose you can get these plants off of us."

"No… I need to move my fingers for that." He responds groggy. 

"... Think he's finally out." You remark, trying to move your hand. 

"I'm here." Akaashi calls, hacking through the branches and greenery. "I'm sorry, I should've made sure he was out first." He adds as he frees you.

"It's okay. We'll be more careful ourselves next time." You assure, bursting through the plants to find Ryuu and free him. 

"True that…" Ryuu looks down at his thigh, blood pouring from a puncture. "... Ow…" 

"I have first aid, ___, finish clearing up this mess. Our villain is buried." Akaashi tells you.

"On it boss." You respond, clearing the green. You reach the man at the center, looking him over warily. "Uh… That last attack he did destroyed his clothes." You call.

"...You can't make clothes can you?" Ryuu looks to Akaashi, as he looks back at you.

"Only guns and electronics I'm afraid…" Akaashi responds. 

"Well, he ain't getting my clothes." Ryuu says. 

"I have nothing to offer either. But maybe he can make himself a grass skirt when he wakes up?" You look back, rubbing your neck.

"I really hope so." Akaashi breathes.

"Can we go now? We did win… Right?" Ryuu asks.

"Yeah. Lets get you healed up." You move under one of his arms to support him. 

"I'm going to get a hug from Kiyoko~" He sings quietly as you and Akaashi help him back to the door. 

"Guess that is the upside to getting hurt." You chuckle.

"Right?" Ryuu grins while Akaashi huffs, shaking his head with some amusement.

"Please be more careful." Akaashi sighs as all of you leave the course. 

"Huh? Shimada's down already too?" FireCrow gasps looking over from Sakusa, Nishinoya, and Atsumu's group. 

"Whoa! You two look rough!" Nishinoya gasps coming over. 

"You need to get those cuts tended soon." Sakusa tells you. 

"You guys won already? You're not hurt?" Ryuu huffs. Nishinoya and Atsumu point at Sakusa.

"We didn't even get five feet in and gassed the area." Atsumu says. "The guy we were up against was paralyzed in a minute. Then Mr. Cautious here surrounded the poor guy with traps." 

"I didn't want him to attack us while we were leaving…" Sakusa says simply.

"I thought it was awesome." Nishinoya chuckles. "But I wish I could've fought." 

"I'm going to have to adjust the rules on the next combat challenges…" FireCrow mutters.

"So you didn't even fight…" You frown slightly.

"Fighting is my second defense. I won't waste energy on weak opponents." Sakusa scoffs.

"Of course. I understand." You say, looking to the side.

"I just saw 'boring' go across your face." Atsumu points at you. Sakusa shifts, straightening up before turning to FireCrow.

"Switch up the teams and send us back in." He requests in annoyance.

"Sure." FireCrow says in surprise. "In that case I'll just go with teams of two." He points between you and Sakusa. "You'll be the first up. That course, lets see how you deal with Takinoue." 

"Alright. Nishinoya can you take my spot here and help Ryuu to find Kiyoko?" You ask.

"Yes!" Nishinoya says going to help Ryuu as you move after Sakusa, grinning excitedly.

"Someone seems awfully happy about their pairing." Atsumu comments loudly. Sakusa glares back at him while you ignore him bouncing slightly. The door opens and Kenma, Osamu, and Kinoshita stumble out, bruises and burns marking their skin.

"Osamu! Kenma! Are you guys okay?!" You gasp, catching Osamu.

".. We lost." Osamu sighs, grabbing Kenma as he falls forward.

"Almost died." Kenma wheezes. 

"Go get healed up- Atsumu help your brother!" You tell him. Osamu grips you for a moment, looking at your face.

"Be careful." He breathes.

"Okay." You touch his back as he is helped away by his brother. You swallow, exchanging a glance with Sakusa before going into the course. A dark city street with a few empty cars sitting about. You peer around warily, taking off your glove. 

Sakusa quietly takes a canister from his arm, tossing it up a few times before clicking a button on it and throwing it down the street. The canister spins, releasing a yellowish gas. Sakusa turns to you, taking out a small gas mask and putting it on you as a holler sounds from an alley that the gas had creeped into. You both look toward the sound before entering the building next to the alley. 

You both stop at a wall, coughing can be heard on the other side. Trying to pinpoint the location, you move to a certain spot. You glance at Sakusa and he gives a nod. You press your hand to the wall, bursting a hole through it. Sakusa moves through swiftly and you hesitate, peering through the particles, narrowly dodging Sakusa as he's tossed back through the hole, lightning flickering after him.

"Lightning?" You breathe as Sakusa jerks before jumping up and scooping you up and moving out of the way as a small column of lightning burst through the hole. 

"I do not like doing things your way." Sakusa says bluntly, setting you down and looking around. 

"Well, my strategy isn't good against a freaking lightning quirk, so go ahead and do yours." You respond. 

"Oooh no. My way is boring, remember? So now we're going to do it your way." He shakes his head.

"... You're being very spiteful right now." You comment as you both move out of the building. "What was that gas anyway?"

"I'm just doing what you wanted… It was a pain gas. Inhale and the toxins will cause pain in random points of the body. Thus making it easier to fight the target." He answers as you move away from the building. Lightning strikes a car nearby, making you jump and look over as the blond comes out of the alley. 

"Where ya going? Thought you wanted to pick a fight." He smirks, pointing a finger at you. Sakusa pulls you behind the car as you instinctively raise your right hand as lightning flashes out, striking your hand.

"___? You okay?" Sakusa freezes, both of you look at your hand as it becomes fuzzy, moving about in odd ways.

"Its… Trying to separate." You gasp, grabbing it in a panic and making it solidify. "I-I don't like this Sakusa." You stammer, shaking your head frantically, tearing up. He freezes, eyes widening before firing a canister at the enemy. A bolt of lightning hits it making it explode, Sakusa sends up a few more obscuring the area in gas. 

"I'll end this now." Sakusa says walking into the smoke. There's the sound of struggling before silence. "We're done here, he won't move for an hour." He states, walking back out of the smoke. You look up at him, still gripping your right hand with an uneasy expression. He meets your gaze before changing gloves and holding a hand out to you, looking away. "Stand up ___, you're okay." 

Taking his hand with your left hand, you get up, subconsciously returning your grip to your left hand as you follow him out. 

"Ehh? Takinoue too?" FireCrow gasps in shock. 

"If that's it. Can we leave now?" Sakusa questions. 

"Uh, sure. Good job, I'll look over the footage later so we can get to actual training next time." FireCrow says, waving you two off. You both separate at the locker rooms and change before starting back to the dorms together.

"... At least we're done for the day." Sakusa comments, glancing at you. 

"Yeah…" You breathe distractedly.

"Your hand is fine now ___, you're not going to disappear…." He tells you lightly, making you flinch. 

"Ah… You're right…" You say sheepishly, trying to smile. His brows knit together and he peers about.

"Um… Call Tendo when you get back to your room." He says finally.

"Why wait? Call me now." A familiar voice chimes behind you as you reach the dorm doors. You and Sakusa look back in surprise as Tendo tilts his head blinking at you before his smile falls a bit, opening his arms. Like a magnet you find yourself instinctively hugging him back. "Bad match up?" He guesses, peering at Sakusa.

"Yes." Sakusa nods, "A lightning quirk hit the right hand and it… Tried to burst…" He informs and you wince at the thought, clenching your right hand tighter. 

"Huh?" Tendo's eyes widen and pulls away, looking at your hand in surprise. "That's new…" He mutters, pulling a pair of black gloves from his hoodie pocket and putting them on. He then takes your right hand, observing it carefully. "Nope all there." He high-fives it, not even blinking with some black leaves the glove. 

"Careful Tendo." You frown. He just hums, proceeding to check your arms, then your legs. He lifts the front of your shirt a little to check your stomach but you quickly stop him. "Tendo!" You scold, pink kissing your cheeks. He chuckles at you before hugging you and patting your back, giving a hum before pulling away to tug your ears gently. His eyes scan over your face before cupping it in his hands.

"Looks like you're all in one piece ___." He says thoughtfully. "Good thing too. I don't know how to go about collecting your pieces but eventually I would've done it." He smiles cutely.

You blink at him and relax, chuckling a bit at him. "Good to know. Thanks for double checking." 

"I couldn't check everything though." He shakes his head and you blush, pushing his face away and making him laugh.

"Tendo…" You sigh.

"You must've been freaked out. I'm glad Sakusa got you out of there." He comments. 

"Yeah. He looked pretty startled when I almost started crying." You admit rubbing your neck.

"I did what I had to… To escape that situation." Sakusa says, looking to the side.

"Aww. Were you worried about ___, 'Omi?" Tendo teases lightly.

"Nope." Sakusa responds, suddenly going inside.

"Hey, its Tendo. Come to see ___?" Atsumu greets, joining you with Osamu. You peer at Osamu, touching his arm and tilting your head. Osamu meets your gaze and gives a thumbs up with a nod.

"Good to see you, ___'s little fox friend." Tendo chuckles. Atsumu pauses and looks at you.

"Do you tell him everything?" He huffs.

"Absolutely." You nod.

"Thats what best friends are for. To judge each others new friends when we're told about them." Tendo hums. "Oh right! There's some people that came with me to meet you!" He tells you suddenly.

"Me?" You tilt your head as he takes your arm, cheerfully heading into the dorms. Aone, Futakuchi, Iwaizumi, and Oikawa were chatting with a pair of newcomers. 

"I found ___!" Tendo chimes, getting the group's attention. "___, that's Semi, and thats Reon." Tendo points to them cheerfully. 

"Ah. So you're the person Tendo is always gushing over." Semi offers a hand with a light smile.

"Nice to meet you." Rein nods.

"Gushes over me huh?" You send Tendo a glance. He just hides his face bashfully, waving you off with the other. "Ugh… Cute." You sigh, putting a hand over your face. 

"Why thank you!" He chuckles putting his hands behind his head. "Anyway. Since you're done with class early. Lets go on a date."

"Huh?" Atsumu and Osamu look at him with darkened faces.

"Ooo special place right?" You light up.

"That's right." He smiles.

"Wait! We just met ___! You can't just go on a date now!" Semi objects.

"Yes we can. ___'s had a bad day so we're going." Tendo says a matter of factly before looking at you. "Go change."

"Okay." You hum hurrying upstairs.

"Do you two go on dates often?" Atsumu asks.

"Sure. Whenever there's a new place I want to show ___. Actually that one day you came with us on a date." Tendo holds up a finger, stunning Atsumu.

"Eh? But you just got food and read jump!?" Atsumu objects.

"Who said dates had to be romantic?" Tendo shrugs.

"The definition." Sakusa says bluntly. 

"It does? I just like calling it a date. Its straight to the point even if the meaning is wrong." Tendo hums, leaning to the side, with his hands behind his head. Amusement was apparent on his face as he peers about at the others. "So you guys don't gotta get all jealous and flustered." 

"Jealous? No." Atsumu and Oikawa scoff.

"I'm not flustered… You?" Osamu glances at Sakusa.

"Nope." Sakusa hums. 

"You know, people that jump to defend themselves when there's not much of an accusation are usually guilty." Tendo snickers, receiving looks from them.

"Tendo. I'm bringing my backpack." You say coming back and peering about. "Huh? You guys wanna fight?" You question the guys, catching the looks they were giving Tendo.

"Nope."


	7. Memories

"Where are we going, Tendo?" You hum as you ride the train with him. 

"Shhh! No spoilers ___!" He puts a finger to your lips. 

"... This is going to be a trip isn't it? I have a curfew, Tendo." You frown slightly. 

"Don't worry. We're being tailed so you won't be the only one in trouble." He chuckles. 

"You're kidding… Who?" You ask, glancing around.

"Dunno. But one of your friends is definitely following us." He hums hugging you and resting his cheek on your shoulder. "Oh well. Right now you're all mine." He murmurs happily.

"Sounds like you really missed me." You tease lightly. He just hums and cuddles you in response. You blink and purse your lips, this really reminded you of your time as kids.

*~*~*~*

For a while. You were all alone. Sitting against the building holding your right hand tightly and staring at the ground as the other kids played far away from you. All alone.

Until his shoes stepped into view, making you look up at the redhead with a bowl cut. He was in a grade above you, and he was taller than some students you knew. He grips the bottom of his shirt awkwardly.

"They call you a monster." He murmurs with a slight head tilt. 

"... I am." You respond, eyes going back to the ground. He shifts, moving to the wall and squatting beside you.

"Me too." He says quietly and you look at him. He rests his arms on his knees and then his cheek on his arms as he meets your gaze. "Want to be friends?" 

"I don't think that's a good idea." You respond, looking away. 

"I'm Satori Tendo. What's your name Monster?" He asks lightly.

"Monster is fine. I deserve that name." You whisper, the sense of grief coming back to your chest.

"Okay… Are you going to cry?" He peers at you carefully.

"Just leave me alone Tendo." You sniff looking away from him.

"No. I want to be your friend." He replies watching you with a small smile.

"___, it's time to go back." A stranger with a familiar face calls. You get up, going to the adult as they hand you a black glove to slip over the one already on your hand. "Say bye to your friend."

"We're not friends." You respond dryly. Your caretaker frowns softly before leading the way to the place you dwelled when you weren't forced to go to school.

"Friends are a good thing to have ___, and you only need one." Your caretaker says. 

"I don't need them." You grumble. The two people that had been assigned to be your caretakers were a couple, and you didn't even know their names. You just answered when they spoke to you. They didn't know how to approach you, so they just left you alone, because that's what you wanted. 

A day after meeting Tendo, he showed up again, at your dwelling place. "___, there's someone here to see you!" Your female caretaker was clearly overjoyed by this development, as she swings your bedroom door wide open with a grin. You blink at her before getting up from your desk and going out to the front door, to find Tendo holding a manga and blinking at you. 

"Hello." Tendo murmurs lightly. "I just finished this. It's really good! You should read it-"

"Why are you here?" You interrupt.

"Because I want to be your friend." He answers with a small smile.

"Go home." You shut the door.

"... ___… Maybe you should try?" Your female caretaker murmurs.

"Leave it Elinor. That kid seems odd anyway." Your male caretaker steps in. 

"Really Hitoshi? You're judging kids now?" Elinor gives him a frown. Oh right… That was their names.

"I'm going back-" You stop as a knock sounds on the door. Really? What was with this boy? You open the door, giving him a glare.

"Never mind about the book. Want to come see a waterfall with me?" He points to himself with a hopeful smile. You blink at him, taken aback. Elinor takes this chance to nudge you out of the house and shut the door behind you. Glancing back you frown heavily before sighing and looking at Tendo.

"Fine. But you have to leave me alone for the rest of the day." You sigh, folding your arms.

"That's okay. I was going to come back tomorrow anyway." He says gesturing for you to follow him as he starts off. You frown at his back, following grumpily. 

Just out of town, and up a mountain a bit is where he takes you, pushing past some overgrowth. You follow him, up a stream to a small waterfall. It wasn't anything extraordinary or anything, but it did bring you some peace of mind. You plop down on the ground, watching the water as Tendo watches you nearby with a small smile. 

"My mommy used to collect… Things with waterfalls… She might still do it…" You murmur distractedly. Tendo blinks before tilting his head.

"Why don't you live with her?" He asks lightly.

"She… Doesn't want me anymore…" You look down at your gloved hand. "I touched daddy and he turned into a red cloud and went away. Now she hates me." 

"... I know that. I was at the playground when it happened too." Tendo tells you. "You didn't mean to, you were just hugging your dad." 

"I didn't. I loved him sooo much… But he's gone now. And it's all my fault." You stare at the waterfall, starting to cry. He frowns and moves closer, hugging you. "Stop… Stay away or you'll disappear too." You sniff, leaning away from him. He blinks and peers at your hand before taking it in his and making you freeze with a horrified squeak. He places your hand against his chest and tilts his head with a smile.

"I'm still here. See? So. Be my friend… Please?" He watches you, hopeful. 

"... Okay. Let go of my hand." You say shakily. He lets go and you swiftly clasp your hands together. "I don't get you… Everyone else there screamed and called me a monster… They won't talk to me… Won't smile at me…"

"You didn't do that. Your quirk did." He shakes his head. "I'll smile at you if it makes you happy." 

"Why?" You look at him. 

"Because we're friends." He smiles. 

Then you two were inseparable, even though you were a year apart, Tendo made time for you. He noticed everything you soon discovered, your different hairstyles, when you were happy or sad, and…

"You're watching him again." He says, making you stiffen and look away.

"I don't know what you're talking about." You cough.

"Yeah you do. Ever since everyone started avoiding him, you've been watching him." Tendo points out. 

"... I went to help him up when he fell that day. He looked really worried that I was there… He's good. I understand him." You peer at your hand. 

"Then go talk to him… Sakusa." He nudges you. 

"M-Mm." You shake your head swiftly, looking at the ground.

"... Why?" He tilts his head. 

"I don't know… I get nervous…" You grumble. "Plus… I don't want to do something that makes him hate me."

"Oh… Well, I don't care so I'm going to go talk to him." He decides heading off to speak with the lone boy in the corner of the playground. You blink and watch him, smiling a bit though you felt a bit jealous. 

Tendo only started being cuddly with you after the break between grade school and middle school. You had been apart for about a month due to your caretakers taking you to visit another country. When you got back, Tendo spent a week at your house, so happy to see you again. You were happy to see him too, but every time you asked about his personal life he would cleverly change the subject to you. 

~*~*~*~

"We're here! Come back to this world." Tendo chuckles, mushing your face.

"Hm? We're here…" You blink and pause, looking up the unpaved road that led up a mountain. 

"Really… Where did you go?" He tilts his head curiously.

"I was just remembering when we were kids…" You admit, rubbing your neck.

"Oh right! You were such a little cutie!" He gushes.

"And you were amazingly persistent… If I had been you I don't think I could have been my friend…" You shake your head in awe.

"Oh. You were remembering that far back?" He chuckles. "I already decided I wanted to be your friend. Getting through your armor was the only problem." He jokes.

"Armor huh…" You raise an eyebrow as he leads you up the trail. 

"Well most people call it a wall. But you weren't really hiding, just putting up a cool hard front, warning people to stay away." He looks ahead smiling thoughtfully. "You know… It took you a whole month to smile at me after we became friends? Then I couldn't stop thinking about it for the longest time. I still think about it." 

"Eh? I don't even remember.." You frown slightly. 

"That's okay. Means it is a memory only for me. Oh but you know what was even cuter?" He grins, looking at you a bit mischievously suddenly. "When you had a crush on Sakusa."

"... Tendo! You promised we wouldn't talk about that!" You gasp turning red while he laughs.

"But you were sooo cute! You'd get all pink if I caught you looking at him. That day I told him to walk past you was the best! You fell over trying to avoid him! Fell in a patch of flowers and everything!" He teases.

"Ugh!" You groan, covering your face as the embarrassment over it comes back. "You're so mean."

"I can't help it. I want to tease you when you're being cute. Somehow it gets even better." He snickers and you send him a half hearted glare. "That's a nice look." He pats your head. "So… You still got a crush?" 

"On Sakusa?... I don't think so… Think it kinda went away before middle school…" You murmur.

"Are you sure about that?" He hums. 

"... I… Don't know." You look down, tilting your head. "I don't think I even look for that sort of thing now." 

"Hm? I noticed that actually. You don't really look at people when we go out now." He says. 

"I feel pretty content… But also, I don't even know what I'm thinking anymore. I thought it would clear up once I came to Raizu… But nothing is really clicking." You tell him. He suddenly turns to you leaning to the side in a goofy fashion, hands behind his head.

"Then maybe you should be bad!" He smiles. You blink at him, taken aback.

"How bad are we talking about here?" You question.

"Thats up to you. Doesnt have to be anything big right off." He says pointedly. He wiggles a bit humming a song to himself. "But I would like to see you be bad sometimes." 

"... You always did get an odd kick whenever I told a lie to someone when you were around." You shake your head.

"Yep. It's a rare gem for me." He hums. 

"Rare gem huh…"

"Yeah… Like that time you lied to the sensei about being Sakusa's neighbor so you would be sent to his house with homework while he was sick." Tendo snickers.

"You told me to do that! You said monsters had to stick together!" You snap, red returning to your cheeks.

"You didn't even try to argue with me about it! And the lies you told that teacher!" Tendo laughs cheerfully. 

"Why is that the one that sticks out for you? It was only about Sakusa once." You grumble.

"Because when you came back from his house you impersonated him and I loved it." Je chuckles.

"... He shouldn't have been so rude that time…" You grumble. 

"It was great!... And so cute. I kinda want you to impersonate Wakatoshi now…" He snorts. You stop, putting on a serious face, making him pause and give you his full attention.

"You shouldve come to Raizu, Tendo. Your talents are wasted on Kuri." You tell him, trying to mimic Ushijima. Tendo blinks before putting his hands in front of his mouth to contain his laughter.

"Brilliant!" 

"Ugh… My throat hurts from that. Did I get the tone at least?" You huff rubbing your throat.

"Almost." He smiles, pulling you off the trail suddenly. "Oops, nearly passed it." 

"So what is it? Something scary?" You ask.

"No…. But now I wish I had thought of that… So cute when you're scared." 

"I'm starting to think you find everything cute." You comment. 

"About you, yes." He nods, the trees getting closer together. Tendo pushes through the dense underbrush, revealing a hot spring. A steamy waterfall cascades into the spring, ripples making some flower petals dance over it. "Ta-da!" 

"... You've outdone yourself Tendo." You breathe. 

"I know! So lets get in!" He chimes, tossing off all of his clothes except for his boxers. You chuckle, shaking your head before following his example and you both climb in. You pretty much melt into the water with a hum. Tendo reaches out, pulling his hoodie close to the spring and retrieving his phone. "Picture time!"

"... Why did you wait until I took most of my clothes off?" You frown.

"I don't have any pictures of you like this." He smiles. 

"Fine." You stretch a bit before getting comfortable.

You spend some time there, chatting and taking pictures together. It was nice, but it didn't seem like Tendo was really there. He kept bringing up random memories.

"We should head back." Tendo hums suddenly, getting out. "It'll be late if we stay longer.."

"How did you find this place anyway?" You ask, getting out as well and grabbing two towels from your backpack [always prepared for spontaneous Tendo]. 

"I flew over it. Then rolled down part of the mountain." He states. You give him a shocked and horrified expression so he quickly adds. "I'm okay though, kinda got into a fight." He waves

"When did that happen? You never told me…" You comment frowning. You never knew him to get into fights, he was too clever to get into one.

"Little bit ago. I didn't want you to worry. Besides, it worked out. I found this place after all." He smiles getting dressed.

"... Sure." You murmur getting dressed as well.

"You're not happy with me now." He guesses.

"You never tell me anything important." You grumble as he takes the lead back.

"Hm? Nothing important really ever happens to me though?" He tilts his head.

"That's your opinion." You huff. "You've always been like that though. Like you're hiding from me." He turns his head, peering at you from the corner of his eye. But for once, he doesn't have a response. That silence sticks, making you feel heavy as you board the train and head back to Raizu.

Tendo stops just outside of the campus, looking at your school quietly. "Maybe I do hide from you… I think, if I say too much you'll say we can't be friends. And I'm not ready for that."

"Tendo…" You frown heavily, reaching for him. He steps forward, dodging your hand before turning about with a warm smile, closing his eyes slightly.

"I tell you this when we text all the time. But, I do love you ___. I'm proud to have you as my best friend. So, don't go dying in your hero work- okay?" He tilts his head slightly.

"Ah…. O-Okay… But Tendo-" 

" 'Youre scaring me, you've been saying some troubling things lately. Are you alright Tendo?' " He recites what you had been about to say and chuckles. "I'm fine ___. We're just growing up, and it feels like we're going to grow apart." 

".... Don't give me that shit Tendo!" You snap. "We're not!" 

"Oh. You got angry this time..." His eyebrows raise in surprise. "Sorry ___, stop making that worried face. Everything is going to be fine." He cups your face and kisses your forehead. "I'm still here." He then takes your right hand hand, placing it to his chest. "See?"

Why did your chest suddenly hurt? "I see." You nod as he releases your hand.

"Have a good night ___." He adds before heading off with a wave.

You watch him go, mind fading into a daze after the storm it was in earlier seemed to subside. You head inside, going upstairs and walking into your room. Sakusa looks up in the process of draining his fangs. 

"Knock." He sighs. You pause and look about the room.

"Sorry… I thought it was my room…" You say. Sakusa blinks at you before getting out of his chair and closing the door behind you. 

"Something happen?" He murmurs as you look up at him.

"Not… really…" You rub your head.

"Is that a lie?" 

"... Yes…" You sigh, taking off the backpack and your jacket, rolling onto his bed. Sakusa watches you for a moment before going back to his chair and continuing his activity.

"Then talk." He says simply. So you tell him a bit of what Tendo said, and how it bothered you. 

"I just feel like I'm in a fog." You turn over playing with your fingers. 

"It does sound unsteady." Sakusa admits. "I cant say it'll be alright or that its going to get better. If he's preparing for that day, maybe you should too." 

"... I don't want to…" You grit your teeth.

"Then what can you do? Do you have an idea of how to save this?" He points out.

"Not yet… But I can try whatever pops into my head until something works." You say, eyelids feeling heavy.

"That's just like you." He seals a few vials before cleaning his face. You mutter something, making him look over as you drift off. He pauses, wiping his mouth as he watches you. He gets up going over and crouching beside the bed, reaching for your face then pausing, looking at his hand and pulling it back. He sighs quietly, putting on his gloves before retrieving one of yours from his backpack, slipping it over your current glove before going out 

He walks into your room, stopping briefly when he finds the twins playing a card game on your bed. "What are you doing?" He questions.

"Waiting for ___ to get back." Osamu answers.

"___'s back, wandered into my room and fell asleep on the bed… I'll allow you on my bed this once- vermin." Sakusa tells them.

"Huh? I'm surprised at you Sakusa. I thought you wouldn't mind cuddling up to ___." Atsumu smirks.

"... Even if I ever wanted to do that. You realize I could kill ___ by doing that, right?" Sakusa informs in annoyance.

"What? You can't be serious…" Atsumu huffs. "You make it sound like that's happened before."

Sakusa shifts before looking at your desk. "It has." He confirms. The twins pause, exchanging a surprised look. 

"... Listen. I know you don't like us. But are you okay man?" Osamu asks in concern. 

"Huh?" Sakusa looks at them oddly.

"It's not like we care but… ___ will worry about you if you're not feeling well…" Atsumu tells him, scratching his cheek. "I mean, we hear enough about you already."

"... Get out. Now." Sakusa glares.

"Fine fine. Freaking cactus." Atsumu scoffs going out. Osamu hesitates on his way out.

"Seriously though. We got your back Sakusa. Whether you like it or not." Osamu breathes before heading out, shutting the door behind himself. Sakusa blinks at the door, before chuckling a bit and taking off his mask. 

"___'s affecting all of them…" He murmurs shaking his head in amusement, laying on your bed. He looks up at the ceiling, smile falling. "Sleep well."


	8. Night Survived

1:30 a.m 

"baki baki ni ore, nani wo? kokoro wo da yo～" Tendo sings quietly.

"Your song doesn't sound so happy." Semi comments.

"I didn't get the whole day off. And my cute ___ is down because of me…" He sighs.

"... I'm sure it'll be fine." Semi says awkwardly. Tendo shrugs slightly.

"Yeah. I wonder if I'll ever see that red cloud again…"

"The what?"

BANG

You lurch up, Atsumu and Osamu jump to their feet, changing form just as something crashes in the hallway. You run out quickly as Iwaizumi gets up, blood dripping down his face. 

"Iwaizumi!" You gasp.

"Evacuate first-years!" He orders, glaring as a large form comes into the hall. Iwaizumi clicks his tongue, fire igniting his arms. "Come on then!" He roars. The villain is suddenly before him. 

'Move!' Your internal voice shouts and you lunge forward, reaching out as the villain moves his arm, blade coming out. Your fingers brush the blade, bursting it before it could slash Iwaizumi. The villain jumps back at that.

"I just said-"

"If it's Bloody Horizon, we can't afford to split up!" You snap. Iwaizumi pauses, blinking at you.

"Alright. Twins, go get Sakusa. We'll need him." Iwaizumi orders as the villain shifts, now targeting you. 

"Oh shi-" He crashes into you and you go flying through the wall, crashing into the ground ten meters away. You cough up blood, somehow managing to stay conscious. Before you can even feel your arms move, the villain is standing over you. 

"What an awful quirk." A deep voice sounds from the monstrous mask. He reaches for your right arm and you freeze, fingers twitching. Chains wrap around his arm and neck. The villain reaches back, grabbing one and slings Oikawa over his head. Oikawa lands, a large sword shooting from his chest and at the villain. The villain catches it between his hands. 

"Get away from my kohai." Oikawa breathes dangerously, a rain of daggers and swords bursting off of him. The villain vanishes as the blades reach him.

'No… He jumped.' You blink in horror. Chains suddenly wrap around you, pulling you into Oikawa as the villain lands where you had been, cracking the earth. 

You raise your right hand to the villain, glove bursting. Before the villain moves there's an explosion at another dorm as a fight breaks out. More crashes sound from dorm one before Ryuu and Nishinoya are sent through a window.

"Bloody Horizon… Isn't one villain. It's a group…." Oikawa whispers in realisation, bringing dread to your heart.

"That's right. And like Okari. Raizu will fall." The villain states. You phase out, your dream flashing through your head, heart dropping.

"You… Won't get the chance." Was that your voice growling like that? It felt like everything was buzzing, especially your arm. 

"Calm down ___. We're still here too." Oikawa breathes, touching your arm. "Don't count your senpai out so soon." 

You blink back, relaxing a bit, "Right." 

The villain moves suddenly and Oikawa's chains shoot out at him, making him leap up into the air again. "That's a bad move." Oikawa holds out his arms to the villain, two swords leaving his hands with chains attached. He swings his arms, swords clashing against the villain's armor with a spark. 

The villain grabs the chains but before he can use them against Oikawa your burst them. Someone leaps from the second story dorm, arms igniting with flames as his hands clasp together, slamming down on the villain's head. But the villain barely reacts, grabbing Iwaizumi's leg and throwing him at you and Oikawa. 

"Gah… Dammit! Sorry guys." Iwaizumi curses, jumping to his feet and pulling you both up.

"That was a nice sneak attack though." You pat his arm with your left hand, tensing and spinning around him and swiping out with your right as the villain moves to attack.

"That really hurt Iwa-chan…" Oikawa coughs, firing a dagger at the villain and making him move back. 

"This guy's strong. No wonder Okari fell…" Iwaizumi murmurs.

"He's pretty wary of ___ so that's slowed him down." Oikawa comments. 

"He did not like me bursting his blade. Thats for sure." You breathe. 

"How's the others?" Oikawa asks.

"Some Bastard with a sonic quirk came in and blasted everyone. But I think they're all alive." Iwaizumi says. 

"Good. Lets just focus on-" The villain suddenly moves and there's a knee crashing into your stomach. Your hand brushes the villain's armor, making it burst as you're sent through the wall of Dorm two. 

"Someone came through the wall!" A shout sounds. "It was the one with Oikawa just now."

"Are they alive!?" Another voice asks as someone leans over you. 

"Yeah! We need Kiyoko! There's a lot injured." The guy calls back. "I'm Ennoshita, I'm going to help you." He says leaning to pick you up but the villain is at the hole in the wall. Ennoshita freezes, looking over in horror. The villain steps in but stops suddenly, reaching behind him and pulling out a tranquilizer dart from his back. He looks back as a vial comes crashing into his mask. 

"Retreat." A computer voice calls above all the noise and chaos. Then the enemy was gone. Sakusa appears at the hole in the wall as you shakily sit up. 

"Good. You're alright." He sighs.

"That guy… Sucked." You cough, not getting up. "I broke something…"

"Can you feel everything?" Sakusa asks. You move your fingers and toes.

"Yeah… I'm good. Go check on the others please.

"Iwazumi and Oikawa went after the villains, I'll go check on the others." He says hurrying out.

"Was that really Bloody Horizon?" Ennoshita asks. 

"Matches their profile. Attacking a hero school in the dead of night. Powerful quirks…" You frown. 

"___!" Kiyoko calls, peering through the hole.

"Hey. Um… Morning." You greet with a wave as the sound of police sirens grow around the school. Kiyoko hugs you, healing you the best she could before hurrying out to find more wounded, Ennoshita helps you to your feet and you both hurry out to help. "Kenma!" You call.

"I'm here." He runs out of Dorm one with Akaashi. 

"Is there anyone trapped?" You ask him. "Are you okay Akaashi?"

"I don't see anyone that looks trapped, a few down but Kiyoko is with them." Kenma informs.

"I'm fine. Thank you." Akaashi says.

"No, thank you. That tranquilizer you shot saved me. Along with Sakusa's vial." You tell him.

"Glad I could do something." Akaashi breathes. "Kenma helped Sakusa get near that guy with his quirk."

"My eyes hurt." Kenma sighs rubbing them. "What kind of monster attacks while people are sleeping?"

"A coward." Oikawa states, making you look back as he and Iwaizumi return.

"You lose them?" Akaashi guesses.

"Yeah. One of their quirks sent us flying. Didn't even get close with the trackers you gave us." Iwaizumi says.

"Well… At least everyone's safe." Oikawa sighs as Atsumu, Osamu, and Sakusa come over.

"Nishinoya and Ryuu are getting healed now." Atsumu says.

"Futakuchi, and Aone caught one of the villains, but he… Got away." Osamu sighs.

"Damn." Iwaizumi growls. 

'All students report to the courtyard.' A voice on the intercom sounds.

It was dawn by the time everything had calmed down. Aone called his father and his construction team came in to fix up the dorms good as new. 

"We'll be back tomorrow, I want to get this whole school fortified to the teeth." Aone's father had told your dorm before he left.

"My room was destroyed so I need to wait on some replacement furniture." Oikawa sighs.

"You can use my bed if you want. I'll just bunk with someone else." You offer. 

"You are so sweet. I don't mind sharing, so there's no need to sleep somewhere else." He smiles at you. "Guess we'll be roommates for a bit."

"I object." Iwaizumi states.

"Iwa-Chan."

"I'm waiting on replacement furniture too. Can I share a room with someone?" Bokuto asks.

"I got you bro." Kuro says.

"No. You two will end up partying all night." Oikawa points at them.

"Then you and Bokuto switch." Iwaizumi states.

"I have an idea." Akaashi speaks up. 

So now those willing to share a room were drawing papers from a hat. "Go ahead ___." Akaashi says. You reach in and pull out a paper, looking at it.

"Iwaizumi." You say looking over.

"Alright. Thanks." He nods, heading to his room.

"Damn…" Oikawa mutters.

After the temporary living arrangements are decided, you head to your room, walking in as your bed is cleared off by Sakusa. 

"I slept here last night so these need to be cleaned." He tells you.

"Oh thanks… And, sorry about stealing your bed." You rub your neck.

"If it was a problem I would have woke you." He responds simply. "Did you sleep well while it lasted at least?"

"Mhm. I was out… Your bed is nice." You chuckle.

"Good… You're feeling a bit better too I see." He comments.

"Well compared to how I woke up, everything about yesterday seems a bit trivial." You rub your neck as your phone goes off. "Oh. Must be Tendo… Took us forever to get rid of the reporters." You pick it up. 

"I'll get started on this, we should eat when I get back." Sakusa says heading out. 

"Okay." You tell him before answering the phone. "Hello?" 

'I just saw the news, are you okay?' Tendo asks.

"Yeah we're fine. Kiyoko was able to heal everyone that was hurt. But now she has to sleep for the rest of the day." 

' That must have been scary. Want me to come over?' He inquires.

"Actually… I think I'm okay. I'm just glad you weren't in the middle of this you know?" You smile softly. "I'm sorry about yesterday."

'... You're apologizing? Why? I should be saying that. I had you all worried and acted like it was nothing.' He sighs. 'You're really amazing you know? I'll make it up to you soon.' 

"Don't worry about it Tendo. Just say we're best friends." You chuckle.

' You are my best friend. And I'm still going to make it up to you, so be ready… I have to go to class now. Text you later.' He chimes hanging up.

"Text you later…" You smile, putting up your phone before situating your room a bit. Iwaizumi comes in, trying to conceal a yawn.

"Shit I'm tired… Glad they cancelled classes for today." He grumbles.

"Right? You can go to sleep, I'll probably be in the main room for most of the day." You tell him, putting a sheet over the window to darken your room.

"Sounds good…" He places his backpack next to your dresser. "You did good last night. And you were right about the whole not splitting up thing." He scratches the back of his head looking to the side. "Thanks for the save."

"Yesterday I was questioning if I had made the right decision." You admit, making him look at you. "But after I was able to do something, and have you still here. I'm really glad to have come to Raizu." You smile. He blinks and smiles a bit 

"Good. I'm glad too." He puts a hand on your head. 

"Sleep well… Roommate." You say before taking a change of clothes to the bathroom, changing then heading out.

You reach downstairs as Sakusa comes to the stairs. "I was about to come get you." He comments.

"Iwaizumi was tired so I'm letting him sleep in peace. Brought his own blanket and pillow too." You tell him.

"Those must have been in the closet. Most of his room was completely gone when I passed it before construction." Sakusa comments.

"I'm amazed everyone is alright after that." You murmur as you enter the kitchen to find Osamu cooking a big meal already. "Hey 'Samu, where's your brother?"

"Dunno. But he's sulking about the room arrangements. He got stuck with Bokuto." He says.

"Honestly I was hoping for Bokuto." You admit.

"He wouldn't have minded it if Iwaizumi wasn't the type to kick us out of your room." Osamu points out, handing you and Sakusa a plate. "Enjoy." 

"You're the best Osamu. And you're right, I cant see him being okay with the foxes." You agree as you head out to the dining room with Sakusa, sitting across from Akaashi and Kuroo who were looking over the clean up sheet.

"I see Iwaizumi in a lot of places on here." Kuroo shakes his head. "If that isn't an act of spite I don't know what is." He says in amusement.

"He was muttering unhappy to himself as he was falling asleep in my room." Akaashi comments.

"You got Oikawa huh?" You guess.

"Yes. I would have preferred Bokuto or Iwaizumi, but that's what I get for coming up with the idea." Akaashi sighs.

"There would have been a lot of drama if you hadn't. Thank you for your sacrifice." Sakusa tells him.

"Heh. You first years are savage." Kuroo chuckles. "Anyway, I was thinking on making some walls to surround campus. You guys can help if you want. ___, your quirk will be appreciated." 

"Sure. I'll clear out whatever you need." You hum.

"So helpful." He smiles patting your head. "Let me know when you're ready to go. I'll ask some of the others." He says getting up and heading off.

"Walls… I could help fortify those… Going to eat a lot of iron first." Akaashi mutters.

"Your quirk is so cool." You admire.

"Thank you. I think yours is quite amazing too." He says. "Even if you're limited there's a lot you can do with that power." You blink and look at your gloved hand at that, smiling a bit.

"Heh. That's new." You comment sheepishly.

"What is?" Akaashi tilts his head.

"Not used to hearing compliments like that. Thank you." You smile. 

"Ah. You're welcome. I'm going to eat some more iron and meet up with you and Kuroo soon." He gets up after giving you a soft smile before heading out. 

"What will you do, Sakusa?" You ask him. 

"I need to make some things for a security measure next time something like this happens… I would like to gas the entire campus for an extreme measure, just need to talk to the headmaster about supplying masks." He says in thought.

"Gas the entire campus…" You echo in amazement. "Sakusa you're scary. But so cool." You gasp. He pauses, looking to the side.

"Why do you feel the need to do that..?" He grumbles. You smile and lean on him, making him tense a bit. 

"Because you're my friend." You tell him. He sighs and meets your gaze as you nudge him. "So cool Sakusa." You smirk. 

"... Stop." He shakes his head.

"Amazing. Best hero ever, ten out of ten would request your help again." You chuckle, nudging him some more.

"Get away from me. You're being gross." He tells you, a slight chuckle in his voice.

"Rude… Just take my friendship dammit." You huff.

"No. It's too sappy." He breathes.

"Fine.. I'll go find Atsumu. He likes it when I compliment him." You say getting up. 

"Wait." He says quickly.

"Hm?" 

"Take this sanitizer, dunno what the vermin is carrying."

"You're so mean!"

"And you're too nice." He responds. You blink and chuckle, hugging his neck before turning and stepping away. "And now you're paralyzed." He sighs as your body stops moving.

'Worth it.' You think. Sakusa gets up, going to you and spraying the spot where you had touched him with your skin.

"Why do I get the feeling this is going to keep happening?" He gives you a look. You wait patiently until you can feel again.

"I can't help myself." You manage with a shrug.

"That's certainly wearing off faster." He comments, adjusting his gloves before pinching your cheeks. "See you later." He adds, before going past.

"See you Sakusa." You wave after him before looking for Atsumu.

"Hey ___," Kenma greets as you search the lobby. 

"Hey Kenma, you see Atsumu anywhere?" You ask, looking under a table. He hums, eyes changing colors as he peers about.

"... I think he's in his fox form in the second floor hall closet." He says. 

"How dramatic." You shake your head. "What did you need?"

"Nothing. Kuroo said you were going to help him, so I got some drinks together for you guys." He says, offering you a small cooler bag. "Kuroo gets dehydrated fast when he uses his quirk too much."

"Oh thanks Kenma. I'll keep an eye on him." You assure as you take it. "I gotta go talk to Atsumu now." You add before heading upstairs and to the hall closet. You open it, finding the fox fast asleep. You kneel down, rubbing his cheek and waking him.

"Hey Atsumu… Sorry for waking you." You murmur softly, picking him up gently. "Come on, lets put you in Osamu's bed." You hum, taking him into Osamu's room and going in. "Awe… Osamu's room is cute.." You comment, putting Atsumu on the bed. "Is that an onigiri plushie? Osamu's so cute." 

"Ugh. Shut it. My room is way better." Atsumu scoffs, stretching into his normal form, fox ears flickering a bit before he curls up with a sleepy pout. You blink and let out an amused huff before leaning over him, fingers running through his hair between his ears. 

"Why are you pouting, 'Tsumu?" You ask lightly. 

"... I'm just tired… My head is buzzing from that sonic bastard's yell last night." He grumbles.

"Anything I can do to help?" You ask lightly. 

"... Cuddle me." He says opening his arms.

"I would. But I'm supposed to help Kuroo. So, maybe when I get back." You pat his shoulder. 

"Fine… Hurry back." He sighs, closing his eyes. You head out and downstairs, meeting Kuroo at the foot of the stairs with Akaashi.

"Looks like its just us three. Lets go." Kuroo says leading the way. He takes you both to the entrance. "Alright, we'll start here." He says, widening his stance and lifting his arms like he was lifting a heavy weight, raising an earth wall. 

"Wow… That's what? Ten feet?" You breathe in awe. 

"Yeah. Right now the highest I can go is twenty-five feet in a twenty-five foot radius." Kuroo tells you. Akaashi drops down some metal shutters. 

"Could you lower it so I can place these?" Akaashi requests.

"Of course. Those are nice, but don't push yourself." Kuroo says lowering it for him. 

You spent most of the day helping them make the walls and clearing the obstacles in the way, keeping on the two. 

"Lets stop here today. Its halfway there, so we did pretty good. Thanks for the help." Kuroo tells you and Akaashi. 

"Osamu said he was going to make us dinner too didn't he?" Akaashi says.

"That guy is amazing I cant believe he brought us lunch earlier. So sweet." You chuckle with a grin.

"He is a lot nicer than Atsumu, that's for sure." Akaashi comments. 

"Think he's just using food to get to someone's heart." Kuroo comments stretching as you walk back. 

"Heh, I wonder who." You comment. They both give you a look at that. "What? Me? Nah. He could do a lot better." You say looking down. Akaashi blinks at you, reaching over and calmly putting you in a firm headlock.

"Uh… Whatcha doing Akaashi?" Kuroo asks in surprise.

"I'm sorry but I feel punishment is necessary for that comment." Akaashi says, arm tightening as you struggle to get free. 

"Wh-What did I do?" You huff in confusion.

"I'm concerned about your self esteem ___." Akaashi says, pinching your cheek. 

"Wait. If we're tormenting ___, I wanna help." Kuroo says, poking your sides.

"No.. Why!? That tickles!" You chuckle, swatting at Kuroo's hands. 

"Heh. This is fun." Kuroo snickers.

"Help!" You laugh. 

"Hey hey hey! You didn't invite me to this party." Bokuto says landing near by.

"Not a party Bokuto-San, punishment." Akaashi informs.

"Save me senpai." You reach for Bokuto. He blinks, suddenly rushing you and picking you up and swatting their hands away.

"Retreat!" He laughs, running to the dorm with you in his arms.

"Bokuto! Ya traitor!" Kuroo calls giving chase with a smile. Akaashi chuckles and follows as well. 

"Hurry they're gaining on us!" You laugh. 

"I got ya!" He chuckles reaching the dorm and bursting inside. "Rescue successful!" He declares setting you down.

"Thank you Great Owl!" You cheer, making him grin. 

"You guys sure are having fun." Oikawa comments shaking his head. 

"Yep!" Bokuto hugs you as Kuroo and Akaashi rush in.

"Heh damn you Bokuto." Kuroo pants.

"Hm? You're out of breath already?" Bokuto raises an eyebrow at you.

"We've been working all day." Kuroo informs huffy. 

"Really? I was on cleaning duty today." Bokuto says.

"No I made Iwa-chan clean all week." Oikawa frowns.

"Is that so." Iwaizumi says, standing behind him with a glare.

"Ah! Iwa-chan!" Oikawa gasps. "Ow!" 

"Shittykawa." 

"Ow! Stop hitting me!"

"TrashyKawa." 

"S-Someone help." 

You frown and hug Oikawa, "Stop being mean Iwa-chan." You tell him. 

"What? But he-"

"I'll help you with the clean up. It'll be okay." You assure with a smile. Iwaizumi pauses before sighing.

"Fine…" 

"Awe… ___." Oikawa chimes hugging you cheerfully.

"Dinner!" The twins call from the kitchen. 

"Lets eat." Kuroo pulls you away from Oikawa. 

"Right." You say going to the kitchen and hugging the twins. "Smells great you two."

"Finally done?" Atsumu hums.

"Yeah, sorry I couldn't nap with you." You tell him.

"Eh. I had a feeling that is how it would be." Atsumu shrugs.

"Were you able to finish?" Osamu asks.

"No. We'll have to finish tomorrow." Kuroo answers him. 

"Too bad we can't really help you with that." Osamu frowns.

"Don't worry about it. Thanks for making sure we ate lunch." You wave smiling. 

"Of course. You were working hard, lunch is important." He replies lightly.

"Stop." Atsumu frowns at him, handing you a plate. "Go eat." He adds to you.

"Alright." You breathe going into the dining room.

"Welcome back." Kenma greets.

"Hey. Is Sakusa back yet?" You ask.

"Not yet. He said he had to pick up materials." Kenma responds.

"It's getting late…" You frown, taking out your phone and messaging him.

"I didn't know Sakusa had a phone." Kuroo comments, sitting beside you.

"Of course he does." You glance at him. "His number hasn't changed since middle school." 

"Hold on. You said you two werent friends until recently." Atsumu says, sitting on your other side.

"We weren't. Tendo had given our numbers to the other as an 'in case of emergency call me or them'," You shrug. "I've only messaged him three times. Now, and the other two were if he wanted me to bring him the homework on his sick days."

"What? That's it? Since middle school?" Atsumu asks in shock. "That jerk! Give me your number." 

"Huh? Osamu didn't give it to you? Weird." You blink at him.

"No. He didn't." Atsumu shoots his brother a glare.

"Oops…" Osamu hums handing out plates. You take Atsumu's phone and put in your number before handing it back, pausing as the other hand you theirs for your number. You chuckle a bit, adding your number to their contacts. Your phone starts to go off and you glance at it, finding Sakusa calling.

"Hey." You answer it.

'I don't think I'll be back in time for curfew. The tracks are out.' He tells you.

"Where are you?" You frown.

'Sakura town. I was getting some things from an acquaintance here.' 

"Okay. I'm on my way." 

'What? How do you intend to do that?'

"Bokuto." You answer, getting the other's attention.

'I'm telling you right now I'm not going to be carried back.'

"Yeah I know. And it'll be fine." You say. "Stay at the train station we'll be their soon." 

'Wait- what are you planning??'

"See you soon." You chuckle hanging up and finishing your food.

"What's up?" Bokuto asks you.

"Sakusa won't be back in time for curfew. Apparently the tracks between here and Sakura are out. Could you fly me over there? I know someone there that will let us stay the night." You hum. 

"Oh sure." He grins.

"If that's the plan then Bokuto should stay with you guys. Won't be safe for him to fly back at this hour." Oikawa tells you.

"Alright." You nod getting up. "I'll go pack some things then." You say hurrying upstairs. You pack some clothes for yourself and pause. "I should get Sakusa clothes too… But I shouldn't go through his drawers without permission…"

"If I lend him clothes, will you take me with you?" Atsumu's voice makes you jump and look over at him.

"... Sure, I'll get a satchel for you." You nod. He grins and leaves to get some clothes. You smile a bit and grab an empty satchel to carry Atsumu in. He returns, putting clothes into your backpack before taking fox form and climbing into the satchel as Iwaizumi comes in.

".... You two…" He shakes his head. "Be careful." 

"We will." You smile, patting Atsumu's head. The fox chatters a bit, smiling at you. "You are just so cute." You scratch his cheek as you head out.

"And now Atsumu's going." Oikawa sighs when you reach the lobby. "You better behave."

"Of course. It wouldn't be good to cause Kita trouble." You wave your hand. 

"Alright. I'm ready. Lets go." Bokuto chimes, picking you up cheerfully. Kuroo opens the door letting Bokuto by with you in his arms. Bokuto's wings come out and he launches into the sky. You hold the satchel close to your chest. Atsumu pokes his head out and you both watch the land go by steadily. "I havent been to Sakura in a while." Bokuto hums. 

"Same here. The last time I was there, me and Tendo got lost during one of his spontaneous dates. We met Kita and he let us stay for the night. He's kinda emotionless, but he's a great guy. I'll be happy to see him again." You tell him. 

"I can't wait to meet him then." Bokuto smiles thoughtfully, following the train tracks. 

It took a bit but you soon land at the train station where Sakusa greets you. "...Just had to bring the vermin…" He sighs looking at Atsumu as the fox hops out of the satchel and changes back. 

"Nice to see you too, Cactus." Atsumu says. "Lead the way ___."

"Sure." You nod heading off. "We saw where the tracks are out, looks like there was a hell of a fight."

"I figured… Where are we going?" Sakusa inquires.

"Well, its late so, I think we should stay the night here or at a hotel." You murmur. 

"I see… So we're all going to stay in the same place…" Sakusa glances at Bokuto and Atsumu briefly before looking at you. He didn't have to say anything you could tell he thought this was going to be a nightmare.

"It's not going to be that bad." You assure. His eyes narrow at you slightly at that. "... Alright I'm sorry but this is the best option." You tell him. 

"... What's going on? Are you reading his mind?" Atsumu huffs lost.

"Wow. You know Sakusa well." Bokuto comments. You blink and cough, looking away awkwardly. 

"We're almost there." You say moving ahead. Atsumu and Bokuto blink after you in surprise while Sakusa watches you silently. You spot a familiar house and swallow, approaching it. You can see someone pass the window and peer out briefly. 

A familiar guy comes out as you reach the door. "I thought I recognized that face. It's been a while ___," He greets.

"Hello again Kita."


	9. Curse

"You must be here because the tracks are out. Right?" Kita guesses simply.

"Yes… But if it's too troublesome I can-"

"No trouble. We have room. Please come in," He says opening the door for you. 

"Thank you." You nod leading the way in. The guys offer their thanks as well. Kita shows you to the kitchen where his grandma was. She looks at you and smiles.

"Hello again Wolf." She nods. It was a nickname she gave you that night. She had compared you to a wolf, lonely, strong, and protective of loved ones. She didn't seem fond of Tendo though.

"Hello again. Thank you for having us." You give a bow. 

"Make yourself at home dear." She peers at the other three. "You as well, please rest." 

"Oh, but first, Osamu made a bento for you Sakusa. You should eat." You take it out of the backpack and hand it to him. "Oh, and I didn't want to go through your drawers so Atsumu agreed to lend you clothes for the night." 

"... Thank you for thinking of me." He says, taking off his mask and sitting at the table. 

"I'll show you to the room." Kita tells Atsumu and Bokuto.

"Thank you." They say following him. You sit with Sakusa, smiling slightly. 

"You seem pleased with yourself." Sakusa murmurs.

"I'm just glad this worked out." You breathe looking at your hands. Kita soon comes back, making you both a cup of tea before sitting with you. 

"I saw you on the news this morning. You're going to Raizu?" He tilts his head.

"Yeah. I'm going to be a hero." You smile. 

"I see. That's admirable," He nods thoughtfully. "How about Tendo?"

"He's attending Kuri Academy. He's doing well from what I can tell." You respond.

"That's good. So the ones you brought are classmates?" He guesses.

"Yes. This is Sakusa, the blond is Atsumu and the last one is Bokuto." You tell him.

"I hope you two won't mind sharing a room. The other two are going to sleep in my room." Kita informs.

"No problem there. Sorry your room is a bit full now." You sigh.

"I don't mind at all." He says, looking at the clock. "I'm going to check in now. The room is the same as before, sleep well." He adds getting up. 

"Alright, sleep well Kita. And thank you again." You say after him. He offers a small smile before going to his room. Sakusa finishes eating and you take the box to wash it before leading him to the room. "It's as big as I remember." You hum thoughtfully, going to one of the futons, putting down your things. Sakusa peers about before setting down his backpack, metal sounding within. "Here. The clothes that Atsumu's lending you." You pass them to him. "That's a bathroom there." 

"Alright." He takes them to the bathroom. You wait for your turn, pausing when he returns in the change of clothes and a scowl. "I hate it." He deadpans as you read the joke on the front of it. You press your lips together.

"I-it's just for tonight…" You manage, pushing down the laughter that was trying to rise up in your chest.

"I'm so glad you understand his humor." He states with a frown.

"I'm so sorry I should have checked first." You snicker. He sighs closing his eyes before going over to a futon and spraying it with disinfectant.

"It's fine. Just for tonight… I'm just lucky you're so thoughtful." He says. 

"Heh. Really?" You rub your neck sheepishly.

"Go change." He says. 

"Alright." You hum, going into the bathroom and changing. When you come back out he's spraying the other futon. You huff quietly, smiling a bit. He finishes and opens his backpack, pulling out some pieces of metal. 

"Come look." He tells you, not looking back. You blink, going over and sitting across from his. "When it's finished it'll go on the walls that Kuroo is putting up, about twenty of them facing the school and dorms. I'm going to have a remote for them to set them all off at once. There's going to be a few small ones in each building." 

"You're going to need to fill all of them up." You comment.

"I calculated it, I already have more than enough for them." He assures. "When I spoke to the headmaster, he had already got plenty of emergency equipment for another attack. Including gas masks." 

"Heh. Raizu's going to become the safest school…" You chuckle.

"Indeed." He nods. "And we don't have to worry about Bloody Horizon for a day or two. That vial I threw at their main tank wasn't watered down and will keep him paralyzed for 48-62 hours." 

"Wow… Too bad they escaped before it took effect… That guy… Is definitely the main threat. I don't know why. But I think he was holding back then." You fold your arms and tilt your head. "I think if we face him again, people will definitely die." You frown.

"We'll be ready next time." Sakusa says.

"How? If they attack while we're all asleep they'll still have the advantage… Assuming if they're dumb enough to try that again…" You murmur in thought. 

Sakusa says nothing, because he knows you're right. Instead he adjusts a glove before reaching over and touching your shoulder, making you meet his gaze. He gives a nod and you sigh, relaxing. 

"Only do what we can, right?" You smile a bit. "You're right." 

"... I'm aware but do you have to read my mind?" He huffs. 

"I do keep doing that, huh?" You say awkwardly with a chuckle.

"Yes. It's both weird and flattering." He tells you. 

"Oh? You're flattered?" You chuckle leaning forward and smirking. He takes his pillow and tosses it at your face.

"It's gross." He states. You laugh, tossing the pillow back. 

"Is that so? Maybe I should just start saying things just to gross you out." You snicker.

"I will leave this room." He warns pointing at you. 

"I'll follow. It's not good to be wandering alone right now. I'll be sad if you got hurt." You respond, making his finger drop.

"Unbelievable." He sighs placing the metal pieces back in the backpack. You watch him thoughtfully, smiling to yourself.

"I'm really glad we're still together." You comment. He pauses, raising an eyebrow at you. "I mean going to the same school. It's far less stressful with you here."

"... This is gross… But. I agree." He admits quietly. You gap at him, smile pulling at the corners of your lips at the same time. "Ew." He tosses his pillow at your face again. 

"I want to hug you." You gasp unaffected. His eyes flash and he tries to give you a glare.

"S-Stay away." He warns as you move closer. He leans away but you hug his torso cheerfully. He scowls, putting on his mask as pink comes to his face.

"So nice." You chime.

"So gross…" He huffs not moving. ".... Alright, get off." He grumbles.

"Sorry." You swiftly pull away. "I-"

"Couldn't help it because you were happy about it for some reason." He finishes for you. 

"Now who's reading minds?" You smirk. He pauses and covers his face.

"Oh god make it stop.." He groans. You chuckle at him before giving him his pillow back. 

"Alright I'll leave you alone. Let's go to bed." You hum, crawling into the futon. He sighs and rolls onto his, covering his eyes with a small smile. You peer at him and smile a bit. "Gross, what's up with that cute smile?"

"Shut up… This is your fault." He responds with a chuckle. 

"And you're chuckling? Who are you?" You tease with a yawn.

"You're the absolute worst." 

"I'm sorry but I can't take you seriously when you're smiling."

"Shut up. Go to bed before I smother you." 

"Fine fine, no need to get violent, Sakusa. Geez you're out of control tonight."

"I hate you."

"___," Bokuto whispers. You just hum and roll over, hiding beneath your cover. "Good idea." He nods, getting under and cuddling you. Atsumu peers in and changes form, moving under the covers and between your arms. You hum again, nuzzling his fur.

".... I should've expected this…" Sakusa sighs coming in and yanking the blanket off of you three, earning a chorus of protest. "If we don't leave now we are going to be late." 

"Breakfast." Kita pokes his head in. There's a pause before the sleeping three get up.

"Thank you." Sakusa says.

"My pleasure." Kita responds. 

"So hungry." Bokuto says leaning on you and steering you after Kita. 

"Walk on your own, Bokuto." Atsumu yawns.

"Mm… But ___'s warm." Bokuto hums. You chuckle, sitting down with them and eating. 

"The trains should be running now." Kita tells you.

"Good to hear. Thanks for taking us in for the night." You tell them.

"It was no problem dear. You're welcome any time." His grandma smiles. 

"I'll have to bring you a gift next time." You murmur. You finish eating and stand up, thanking them again.

"I'll walk with you to the station. I need to get to Inari." Kita says, putting on his backpack. "See you later grandma."

"Have a good day." She waves after all of you as you head out.

"Your grandma is so nice." Bokuto comments.

"Yes, I'm very fortunate." Kita smiles.

"Let's exchange numbers. If you ever need anything- I'm your human." You tell him smiling. 

"My human huh? That's cute." He comments as you exchange numbers. "I'll let you know if I ever need a hero." He says as you reach the station. 

"Heh I'll be there." You chuckle. 

"This is our train." Sakusa tells you. With a nod you all give a bow to Kita before getting on the train, sitting between Sakusa and Bokuto. 

"Should take us a half hour to get back." You murmur, pausing as the fox hops on your lap. "Cutie." You rub his cheeks affectionately. 

"Vermin." Sakusa says as Bokuto carefully pets 'Tsumu.

"He's so soft!" Bokuto whispers as 'Tsumu growls at him.

"Right? So cuddly!" You gush cuddling the fox.

"... Do you forget that Atsumu? How isn't it weird when he turns back?" Sakusa questions.

"Yes. And it's just not. I've accepted this." You hum, playing with the fox's ears. 

"I'm going to nap until we get there." Bokuto decides, resting his head on your shoulder.

"Sleep well." You hum, peering at your phone. "Hmm." You rest your chin on Atsumu's head. "Nishinoya says they're going to be at the courses." 

"Figured that much." Sakusa comments.

"Aw. Oikawa sent me a selfie. Looks sad." You murmur.

"Says 'missing you' above it." Sakusa points out.

"How sweet." You chuckle.

"How gross." Sakusa says. You smile at that and lean on him. 

"Take a picture with me." You request.

"Ew." He breathes, taking off his mask. "Make it quick." He adds. You laugh a bit, holding up your phone and taking a picture with him. 

"Aww. I got Bokuto in it too. He looks so peaceful." You breathe, looking it over. "And you gave a little smile… Wallpaper." 

"Don't do that…" He mutters putting his mask back on. Atsumu huffs, putting his paws on your shoulders. 

"Hm? You want a picture too?" You guess. He stands on his hind legs, pressing the top of his head to your cheek in response, so you take a picture. "Awww. That one's cute too."

"He looks like a rat." Sakusa comments.

"You're so mean." You breathe as Atsumu growls at him. "'Tsumu is a cute fox." You hug the fox.

"You're going to make me sick." Sakusa states. 

"Fine. I'll stop… For now." You sigh.

"Just be careful. I don't want you to catch anything." 

"Aww."

"Because I don't want to catch it."

"... Less aww." 

*Growl*

"Also, Atsumu is very healthy and not sick."

"I'm pretty sure he has rabies."

*Growl*

"Atsumu you're not helping with the growling on that one."

You reach the next station and get off, Bokuto taking the lead. "I don't have rabies." Atsumu states after changing back.

"Wow that was bugging you the whole time huh?" You comment.

"... No." Atsumu scoffs looking to the side.

"Its okay 'Tsumu, I know. Sakusa may have been teasing you." You pat his head. 

"You don't seem very sure." Atsumu deadpans. You pause and look away.

"I should message Nishinoya." You say changing the subject. Sakusa takes off his mask to give Atsumu a smug smile.

"Okay. I'll remember that." Atsumu points at him in annoyance.

You reach the dorms and hurry up the stairs to change into your suits before hurrying out to the courses.

"There ya are, tardies." FireCrow greets. "But your Dorm President informed me of the situation so I'm not mad. Stick together." He puts a hand on your shoulder. "So. Lets go duke it out. No quirks." He points at you and Sakusa. 

"Yes sir." You nod, doubling up your glove as Sakusa adjusts his suit before you follow FireCrow to a course. 

"So main combat huh?" Atsumu hums.

"I guess I'm ready to get my ass kicked… Again..." You stretch.

"Just make sure you learn as you do." FireCrow hums.

"Well, if you need extra combat training- I'm your human." Atsumu smiles.

"You mean vermin?" Sakusa corrects.

"Shut up Cactus." 

"I can tell this is going to be a lot of fun." Ukai chuckles as you go into the course, a large calm valley.

"That's… Oddly ominous." Sakusa mutters.

"Seriously this place is amazing." You breathe.

"Right?" Atsumu agrees.

"Alright… Lets get started." FireCrow rolls his shoulders, a pair of black wings come out, fiery colors shining off of them. 

"All together?" You ask. 

"... Oh, that's right. I should probably do one on one for now." He chuckles sheepishly, before beckoning you. "Come now Little Destroyer." 

"... Did you just give me a hero name? Its really cute." You gasp.

"You seem really happy about that." Sakusa comments.

"It is cute." Atsumu agrees. 

"Well it's up for grabs." FireCrow laughs.

"Thanks. That's one less thing for me to worry about." You say before launching at him. He blinks and smiles, shaking his head.

"That's a nice approach if you were using your quirk." He says, flipping you over his head.

"Ow… But I've never really had to fight…" You say getting up. 

"I get it. A quirk like yours makes fighting up close really dangerous for your opponent. But what if there's someone out there your quirk can't destroy?" 

"... Isn't that someone I should marry?" You tilt your head.

"NO." Atsumu and Sakusa call.

"If you're fighting them as a hero… Probably not." FireCrow says. 

"Oh. Alright. Back to getting my ass kicked then."

"You know. I wish I didn't randomly pick this. I could have taken fight classes for this." You sigh as Atsumu presses an ice bag to your bruised cheek.

"You had time for that before the school year started." Sakusa points out. "That's what I did."

"... Wait. You didn't plan this?" You gap at him in shock. He pauses, glancing at you. 

"No. It was a last minute decision." He states. 

"Mr. Cautious made a last minute decision?" Atsumu tilts his head. 

"If you must know. I had originally planned to go to Itachi. Their biological classes are supposed to be very advanced." Sakusa says, adjusting his gloves.

"What made you change your mind? That sounds like the perfect place to research your quirk." You comment.

"Does it matter? I'm here now." He says. "And I believe I made the right choice." He adds before leaving the course. You and Atsumu blink at the door.

"I think I struck a nerve…" You frown.

"Nah just seemed like a subject he wanted to avoid." Atsumu says. 

"Must've been a serious decision for him. I won't bring it up again." You breathe, switching the ice pack from your arm to your leg. Atsumu watches you with a small smile.

"So careful and thoughtful." He comments, making you look at him. He lowers his head a bit. "Don't you get tired of being a goody two shoes?"

"You kinda sound like Tendo with that." You huff. "And I can't help it. Sakusa has always been a person that I didn't want to upset." 

"Didn't want to upset? Or you didn't want him to hate you?" He tilts his head. "I don't think you need to worry about either. I mean. For me I don't think you could upset me or make me hate you." He thinks for a moment. "Unless you died." He hums. You blink at him before opening your arms up to him. "Oh. Nice." He smiles hugging you instinctively. 

"Thanks."

"And a thanks? I'm having such a good day." He chuckles helping you up. 

"You know. Getting your ass kicked everyday kinda sucks." You comment as you both head out.

"I'll give you some fight lessons so it won't be so bad."

"I'll try it out." You nod.

"Alright. How about after dinner?" He inquires.

"Sounds good to me… Oh right. Oikawa wanted me to train with him the other day too…" You put a knuckle to his chin. "Oops."

"That guy's a bit much though." Atsumu says.

"Am I?" A voice sounds making you both freeze as an arm comes around both of your necks. 

"... Dorm President! What are you doing here?" You greet.

"I came to get you two for a supply run with me." He smiles.

"Ch-choking! He's trying to kill me!" Atsumu manages with a cough, trying to pull Oikawa's arm from his throat.

"I'll save you Atsumu!" You gasp taking off your glove. Oikawa releases both of you holding up his hands with a chuckle.

"Just kidding." He hums. Atsumu hugs you, sending Oikawa a glare.

"He's evil. We should run." Atsumu whispers. Oikawa blinks, chains leaving his back and rattling.

"We'll go. Please be gentle." You manage.

"Pfft… You two are funny." Oikawa chuckles. "Go change." He nudges you both toward the dorm. 

You and Atsumu rush ahead, Atsumu glancing back a few times as you both get inside. "I vote we escape while we can." He whispers.

"Atsumu. He knows where we sleep." You remind him. He pauses and shudders. "Are you okay?"

"I just imagined you waking me up to him sitting on the ceiling like a demon." He says uneasily. You shudder as well.

"Why would you make me imagine that too!" You hiss.

"We go down together." He declares as you both go up the stairs.

"That sounds like a pact." You comment.

"It is. Don't you forget it." He points at you before going into his room. You chuckle and rush into your room, tripping on Iwaizumi in the middle of sit ups and falling on him.

"Ow…" Iwaizumi growls as you lift yourself up.

"Sorry." You gasp moving off. He sits up, rubbing his forehead.

"Its alright. You're not used to me being in here. Are you hurt?" He checks you over. 

"Ah no. I don't think so." You assire getting up and offering a hand. He takes it, standing up.

"You're going with Oikawa for a supply run right?" He asks. "Be careful."

"We will." You chime, grabbing some clothes and going into the bathroom to change. You come back out to Atsumu peeking into your room warily and Iwaizumi staring him down. 

"What? I didn't do anything…" Atsumu huffs.

"Stop peeking in like a creep." Iwaizumi huffs.

"A creep…" Atsumu pouts.

"There there. Lets go get you some pudding." You chuckle, patting Atsumu's head.

"Your roommate is mean." He grumbles as you come out of your room. 

"Heading out?" Sakusa's voice makes you look over.

"Oikawa is bringing us along for a supply run." You nod.

"That sounds tedious… Good luck." He turns away. 

"I'm sorry." You say quickly, making him stop. "If I said something to make you mad earlier." He pauses and looks back at you seeming confused.

"You? Make me mad?" He tilts his head. "I'm not sure how you would accomplish that." He says. "But it'll be a lot more obvious when I do get angry." 

"Oh. Okay then." You smile.

"What a disgusting smile." He comments turning away and making you pout.

"Wow. What an asshole." Atsumu says patting your head. "I thought that smile was really cute."

"Don't be gross in the hallway." Sakusa says, going into his room. You chuckle and lead Atsumu downstairs where Oikawa waited.

"Finally, lets go." Oikawa hums leading the way out 

He takes you to the far side of town, getting groceries and necessities for the dorm. "... Don't we have people for this?" Atsumu asks as he becomes the pack mule of the trip. 

"Well with the rebuilding and new furniture we… Kinda cant afford it." Oikawa tells him. 

"Oh right…" Atsumu sighs. You reach to take a bag from him and he shifts everything to one arm and taking your hand. "Forgot our funds were already low…" 

"Uh…" You blink at your hand in his before accepting it and looking ahead. "So what else do we need to get?" You ask.

"Just a few more small things… Why are you holding hands?" He looks back, raising an eyebrow at you two.

"I didn't want ___ to get lost." Atsumu says innocently.

"Shall I hold your hand too?" Oikawa hums.

"No." Atsumu answers.

"I'm not that bad." You sigh. 

"Fine. On the way back then." Oikawa hums. Atsumu scowls at his back at that.

"I can help you carry things you know." You tell him.

"No. I got it." He assures. 

"So stubborn." You sigh looking to the side. You pass an alleyway as a man is attacked by a lean villain in black and purple armor. "Trouble."

"Go." Atsumu breathes, releasing your hand. You run for the villain, taking off your glove as he looks over at you, a blue blade coming out of his armor. The mask he wears shows a smiling emoji. 

"Leave 'em alone." You bark, reaching out. The villain moves swiftly, the blue blade slashing through your hand. A cloud of red bursting from your hand. You gasp in shock, chains shooting past you at the villain. He dodges smoothly, swiftly leaving the alleyway. You drop to your knee turning over your hand as it threatens to burst, fingers bursting into small red clouds.

"___!" Oikawa's voice knocks you from your shock and you swiftly grab your hand, squeezing your eyes shut.

"Stay together. Stay together. Don't fall apart. Don't fall apart." You whisper swiftly, rocking back and forth. Pain surges through your hand, making you gasp and look at your hands. The right one back to normal again. "It's still there." You sigh in relief, hands clasped together against your chest, leaning on Oikawa as electrifying pain pulses through your fingers.

"That was way too close." Oikawa rubs your arm. Atsumu places his hand on your shoulder, giving a squeeze.

"Lets hurry back." He murmurs.

"Right."

The supply trip ends for you and Atsumu there. Oikawa runs to get the last items before joining you on the walk back. You were quiet, rubbing over your right palm distractedly.

"The pain wear off yet?" Atsumu asks you.

"Kinda. My fingers feel very sore when I move them…" You breathe. "But at least they came back together…." 

"Its weird… You were able to burst my blades without getting scratches… I wonder what made that one different…" Oikawa frowns looking down as he rubs your back. "I'm sorry you got hurt like that on my watch."

"Its my fault for going in without thinking." You respond simply. 

You reach the dorms, both of them letting you go up to your room. You walk in, staring at your hand quietly for a moment.

"Welcome back… You okay?" Iwaizumi asks, coming out of the bathroom, steam lifting off his skin. 

"It didn't end very well, but we're back." You answer. 

"Okay… You uh. Want to talk about it?" He inquires awkwardly. 

"I'm.. Fine." You assure. He nods with a small frown, pulling on a shirt. He pats your shoulder as he goes out. You stand there for a moment, before changing and crawling onto your bed to sleep. 

You couldn't see his face, just the parts that you remembered from that day. "___. You're such a good child… I'm sorry if you get daddy's quirk." He had said as he rubbed your head lovingly. 

"But I love you daddy. I'll love your quirk too!" 

"Heh… If only that were true…"

"You don't like your quirk?"

"Well… For a long time I thought of it as a curse. But I found that it was just a part of me that I would have to accept and love anyway." 

"... I don't get it." 

"Heh… And I hope you never do."

I got your curse dad. But it took you away the moment it showed itself, so i don't think I can love it. It threatens everything I have and am. 

"Cursed. So many cursed." Sakusa's voice sounds and you look back in the darkness. His shape is illuminated, red droplets leaving his hands, his head bowed. 

"Sakusa…" You frown going to him. "It'll be okay." You murmur.

"It's not a curse we can lift." He states, taking your right hand and exploding into a red cloud. 

You sit up with a jolt, face wet with either tears or sweat. Wiping your face you peer over to find Iwaizumi fast asleep. You sigh quietly, getting out of bed and doubling up your glove. You step out into the hallway, trying to calm yourself. "Just a dream… Just a dream…" You murmur going to Sakusa's door and peering into his room. His desk light is on and he's sitting at his desk, looking over a vial quietly. 

He pauses and looks over, stiffening slightly. "___? What are you… Are you okay?" He asks sitting up. 

"Sorry. I just… Um…" You hesitate, looking down the hall awkwardly. Sakusa blinks and stands up, coming over as he pulls on a pair of fresh gloves. He touches your shoulder, lightly pulling you into his room before closing his door. 

"Was it a nightmare about earlier?" He guesses, going to sit on his bed.

"I was just remembering my dad calling his quirk a curse." You sit down too, keeping space between you. "Then you were there saying the same thing about yours. Then you grabbed my hand and… Burst." You look at your hand. "I uh… Just wanted to make sure you were still here…" You swallow. 

"Of course. I'm not going anywhere. And I'm too cautious to grab your hand like that." He pokes your cheek. "Its like you don't know me at all." He huffs. You blink and look at him before chuckling lightly. 

"Right. Sorry." You hum thoughtfully and relaxing. "I'm just a nervous wreck right now I guess…" 

"You're just worrying about the wrong things again." He says pointedly.

"Are you a wrong thing?" You ask, tilting your head as you look at him. He pauses, meeting your gaze. 

"You don't need to worry about me. So yes." He nods. 

"I can't help it though." You sigh covering your eyes. "I just care so much." You murmur. He rests his chin on his palm, fingers covering his mouth as he watches you.

"I know you do. You're like a marshmallow in that sense. All soft, sweet and mushy. Just too much for me." He remarks. 

"Too much huh? I feel powerful now." You raise your chin suddenly.

"You are easily flattered, Little Destroyer." He hums. You smile at that, swaying a bit at the adopted hero name. "What a gross smile."

"You did this. This is all your fault." You chuckle, giving him a smile. 

"Ugh… I want to kick you out… But I'm going to let you stay in here tonight." He says getting up and going to closet, pulling out a futon.

"... That's probably the nicest thing you ever said to me."

"Shut up and go to sleep… After I change those blankets." 

"Alright."

*Meanwhile*

"You got it?" Semi asks, leaning over to look at what Tendo is cleaning.

"Mhm~ Didn't take me long either." He says as a light blue color shimmers over his face. "I took it apart but I couldn't find anything about it. So I'll just hold onto it for now. Its really pretty. Right?"

"Sure Tendo." Semi shakes his head looking over as Ushijima comes over.

"We're going out tomorrow night. Make sure you're ready." Ushijima tells them. "And Tendo. I want to visit Raizu tomorrow." 

"Uh oh. Sounds like you're missing someone." Tendo teases. 

"I am not."


	10. Claw

"___." Sakusa tosses a pillow on you from where he lay on his futon. "Time to get up." He yawns.

"No…" You object, hugging the pillow. He hums, blinking at you as he sits up. 

"Osamu's making breakfast." He informs. 

"Samu." You sit up looking about half sleep. "Samu food." You nod, getting up suddenly and staggering into Sakusa. 

"Careful." Sakusa breathes, keeping you from falling over again. "Wake up."

"Right… Wake up." You nod looking down at him. "Your eyes are so deep." 

"... Next time I'll wait until you're awake before mentioning food." He decides. 

"Not food." You point at him sleepily. "Samu food."

"Alright. Get away from me already…" He says, a hint of amusement in his voice. 

"... No. Don't want to." You shake your head.

"Gooo." He pushes your face away.

"Fine." You shuffle to the door. "Lets hang out today." You add before going out and to your room, going in as Iwaizumi finishes getting dressed.

"There you are, where did you go last night?" He asks.

"I had a nightmare so I just… Went to Sakusa's room." 

"Oh. You could've woken me. I was right there." He says lightly.

"I didn't feel right about that. And Sakusa was up anyway." You tell him grabbing some clothes for the day.

"Oh right. There won't be classes today, they're adjusting the defenses in the school building and the courses." He informs.

"Oh nice…. No. That's great news!" You gasp waking up all the way and hurrying to change, leaving Iwaizumi lost. You come back out, drumming on his back as you go out the door. "Sakusa! We have the day off." You declare as he leaves his room.

"... Oh no." He comments. "What do you have planned?"

"I-" 

"___!" Tendo's voice calls from downstairs.

"Huh?" You look toward the stairs 

"That cancels your plans." Sakusa says, joining your side. 

"This time." You grumble as you head downstairs with him. 

"Tendo-kun. I believe I requested one thing of you…" Oikawa was saying, a tick mark on his cheek.

"Oh? Oops. I forgot." Tendo chimes innocently.

"Good morning Oikawa…" Ushijima greets. 

"Tendo." You greet with a smile and wave.

"___!" Tendo gives you a tackle hug. "Good morning! Hi Sakusa!" Tendo greets cheerfully. 

"Good morning Tendo. Come to steal ___ today?" Sakusa guesses.

"Haven't decided yet." Tendo straightens. "Hm? Something seems different…" Tendo tilts his head peering between you two.

"Breakfast." Osamu calls.

"Samu food!" You cheer, going into the kitchen. 

"Oh. Good morning ___." Osamu greets with a smile. 

"Good morning Osamu. Smells good!" You hug him. 

"Hope it tastes good too." He breathes. 

"Osamu! You got enough for two more?" Tendo asks. 

"I believe so." Osamu nods. 

"Hello again ___." Ushijima speaks up, making you look at him, meeting his gaze. He offers his hand but Sakusa pulls you closer to himself, fixing Ushijima with a light glare. "... Hello." Ushijima meets his gaze, seeming to glare back. 

"Wakatoshi Ushijima. You're quite the rising hero of Kuri Academy." Sakusa identifies. "I'm Kiyoomi Sakusa. I plan to beat you in the Rescue Tournament this year." You blink and glance at Sakusa in awe. 

"I see. Good luck." Ushijima nods. "___, I would like to apologize for the impression I gave you during our last encounter." He adds.

"Eh. No worries. I'm used to it." You assure.

"Hm? Did he say something rude to you?" Atsumu yawns. 

"No. Just about ___." Oikawa answers.

"Alright. Your friend can't eat here, Tendo." Osamu states bluntly.

"Now now, Wakatoshi apologized. He's been feeling bad about it since then." Tendo assures. Ushijima opens his mouth to speak but Tendo swiftly covers his mouth. 

"It's fine guys. Let him eat." You assure.

"Sure…" Osamu sighs, handing you a plate and shooing you out. You go to the dining hall and sit down, soon being flanked by Sakusa and Tendo.

"So. Any plans today?" Tendo inquires. 

"I was going to take Sakusa somewhere." You tell him. 

"Ah. So a date huh?" Tendo hums munching on his food.

"Uh." Your mind goes blank and you just shake your head.

"Pfft." He turns his head away, fist over his mouth. "Cute."

"I-I didn't do anything!" You stammer.

"You didn't need to." He chuckles, pinching your cheek in amusement.

"So. Where are you going then?" Atsumu asks from across from you. 

'Ahh… The atmosphere here suddenly got weird.' You think. "Mmm I have the address on my phone… Which is still on the charger in my room…" You sigh. 

"I'll get it for you!" Tendo chimes getting up and going up stairs.

"So Ushijima, why are you two here so early in the morning?" You ask.

"Tendo informed me that Raizu was recently attacked. I've come to see how everyone is doing." He responds. 

"Oh. How thoughtful of you." You smile.

"For Raizu being a small insignificant hero school. You must have some amazing quirks here to survive when Okari could not." He states. A number of glares shift toward him at that. 

"... Heh we are pretty small." You try to lighten the mood. 

"Yep. Those guys were idiots to take us lightly because of it!" Nishinoya beams.

"Those guys were done for once we got going." Ryuu grins.

"The strongest thing about them was their entrance." Atsumu jokes.

"Ahem." Futakuchi clears his throat, killing the boasting in an instant.

"We are sorry."

"... Why isn't Tendo back?" You look toward the hall as the redhead pops back in.

"I'm here! Sorry, got sidetracked by your new pics. Your wallpaper is really cute." He comments, handing you your phone.

"You didn't." Sakusa gives you a look.

"What? No way… That'd be… Really gross…" You lie leaning away from him to pull up the place you planned to go.

"... You liar." Sakusa shakes his head.

"Shush. I'm not changing it." You respond before showing Atsumu. 

"... Nope. Not cute at all. You definitely should not go there with Sakusa." Atsumu shakes his head, trailing off to mutter unhappily.

"Wait. Where?" Sakusa looks at you as Tendo takes your phone again to look too.

"Secret." You tell him.

"I'm going with you." He reminds you. 

"Then.. Surprise." You give a thumbs up. 

"...."

"I think you'll actually like it Omi." Tendo hands you your phone again. "You two have fun, 'kay?" He smiles. You blink at him, tilting your head.

"Tendo. You okay?" You ask him, making him pause.

"Mmm I think I'm jealous." He points to himself. "But don't mind this. I'll just take you somewhere next time."

"It's time to go Tendo." Ushijima states getting up. 

"Right. Bye guys, have a great day!" Tendo chimes standing up and following his classmate out. They leave the dorms, Tendo peering back at the building before sighing quietly.

"Did you get what we came for?" Ushijima asks.

"Mhm. Easy peasy. Just like I told you. Did you see what you wanted?" Tendo inquires.

"Yes.. Raizu has changed. The Rescue Tournament will be interesting this year." Ushijima gives an alarming smile. 

"I told you." Tendo smiles. 

"Ready?" You ask Sakusa after you clean your plate. 

"I suppose… Sort of dreading this." 

"You're hurting my feelings Sakusa." 

"I'm only dreading it because I feel like you're leading me into a trap." 

"No. That would be hard." You say going into the lobby. 

"Hmm. Let me grab some more gloves first." He says going upstairs quickly. 

"Are you two heading out now? Have fun." Atsumu hums, standing with his twin.

"That's the plan." You give a thumbs up. Atsumu huffs, smiling briefly.

"Good. But just so you know. Next time it's my day." Osamu informs. Atsumu gaps at him in shock before glaring.

"I was about to say that!" He snaps.

"Too slow." Osamu responds.

"Heh okay Osamu. I'll look forward to it." You smile as Sakusa comes down.

"Ready now. Lets go." Sakusa says and you both go toward the door.

"Come back safe!" Nishinoya calls. 

You take Sakusa to the train station, smiling to yourself. "Alright. Shouldn't take long." You say excitedly. "Been a while since I was last there."

"You've been to this place before?" Sakusa comments.

"Yeah. It was that day I uh… Kinda burst my shirt at school. I left school after I got a replacement and just wandered… Ended up an hour away from home, but I found a nice place." You recall lightly.

"I remember that day. Tendo dragged me with him to look for you." He says. 

"Eh? He never said anything about that." You blink in surprise. "Sorry then. He always thought you should be friends with us." 

"You didn't?" He inquires.

"Ah. Well I did too. But it seemed like it would be a hassle for you." You admit looking down.

"It kind of is… but. I think it's something that was going to happen eventually."

"... So you admit we're friends? Maybe even besties?"

"Oh god no…. Just friends." 

"Mmm… no. I think we're going to be besties too." 

"Nope. That has bad idea written all over it." 

"I think you're putting up an unnecessary and pointless fight here Sakusa." 

"So stubborn." He sighs reaching over and putting a gloved hand over your face.

"Yeee." You put your hands on your hips unaffected. 

The train comes to a stop finally and you step out, leading Sakusa down the road to an old shrine path. 

"We're going to a shrine…" He guesses.

"Not to it. Close to it." You correct going up the woodsy path. This wasn't a popular tourist spot so there weren't many people about. Not that you minded the people at all. Halfway up the mountain you suddenly walk into the woods, tugging Sakusa along with you. He peers around suspiciously, keeping close to you. "You're far too suspicious Sakusa." You chuckle.

"We're in a remote area off a path in a zone with no hero agencies." He says pointedly. 

"You would be so much fun to take camping." You chuckle. 

"Don't you think about dragging me along for that… Ever." He grumbles. You just chuckle as the sound of rushing water catches your ear. A smile comes over your lips as the nice sized waterfall comes into view. 

"Here we are." You chime hopping to a stone and sitting down to look at the waterfall. Sakusa blinks at it, soon joining you on your stone, taking off his mask.

"You found this the day you were alone?"

"Mhm… It was a lucky find for me. My mind was a mess then, but it calmed when I got here." You breathe. "The air feels nice here too." 

"It does." He agrees. You peer at him, pulling on a pair of medical gloves before poking his cheek.

"You're relaxed now." You hum when he glances at you.

"Not entirely… I was just remembering something… You used to draw these a lot." He murmurs.

"Hm? Yeah I guess I did. Its weird to think about. I feel like I should hate them or they should make me sad because my mom liked them so much. But every time I look at one, it brings me peace." You admit watching the water cascade down into the river. He falls silent, watching you for a moment before looking away and leaning on you slightly. "Did you know, I can't really destroy a river. It doesn't burst. If I were to try I could make a mist. But the water would still run." 

"Wouldn't that make it a weakness for you?" He comments.

"Sort of. But, humans are mostly water, and I can still destroy them." You look at your hand. Sakusa looks at your hand before adjusting his glove and placing his hand over yours. It makes you tense, feeling your heart swell and drop at the same time.

"You're getting better." He says lightly. "You'll be a good hero." 

Your eyes warm tears rising up, but you squeeze your eyes shut, leaning your head on his shoulder. Sakusa watches the water, a calm silence falling over the area.

After some time you decide it's time to leave and get up. "I'm hungry… Should have asked Samu to make us some lunch." You comment.

"Alright. Its my turn. I'm going to shut you up about his food." He decides, pointing at you.

"Oh? Think you know of better food?" You smirk as you both walk back to the path. 

"Don't make it sound impossible." He sighs.

"Prove me wrong then." You nudge him as you both step onto the path. 

"Oh I-" Something grabs your neck, a point breaking through the skin as you're suddenly yanked into the woods. A veil of black falling over your consciousness. 

"___!" Sakusa shouts after you in surprise, making a move to run after you but stops himself, pulling off his gloves as shapes move amongst the dark tree line, some suddenly rushing him. 'Dammit.' He thinks, grabbing a vial from his pocket and throwing it to the ground, making it smash. Paralyzing fumes bursting up. Most of the attackers back off before retreating, one getting paralyzed in just a few seconds. Sakusa grabs the man by his shirt collar, taking off his mask and letting his fangs protrude out, venom dripping off. "You better think carefully over the questions I'm about to ask or I'm going to burn holes all over your body."

"Tendo…." Semi frowns at him as he distractedly spins a pencil about, tapping on the desk.

"I wonder if ___ is having fun… I should've took them with me. We could be having so much fun right now." Tendo murmurs.

"Oh…" Semi and Reon exchange a glance at that. "Um…" 

Tendo's phone goes off, making him look at it. "Sakusa is calling me…" He blinks in surprise before swiftly answering the phone. "What happened?" He asks. He listens for a bit, eyes narrowing slightly. "Claw took ___." He echoes looking to Semi. Semi nods and he and Reon hurry off. "Okay, I'll call 'Tsumu, your dormmates will be on their way soon, stay put." He tells Sakusa. "I know you're worried, just stay calm… I'm on my way."

*×*×*×

Your feeling was coming back, heavy eyelids opening to a dim, rocking room. There were half naked people sitting against the walls huddled together, some crying quietly. 

"Are you awake?" A small voice asks, making your eyes wonder to the face of a little boy, maybe around seven or nine years old. You try to move, only to sigh quietly in response. "That's okay. You'll be able to move soon." He assures. You could now feel the cold grimy metal that you lay on. Fingers twitching, you will yourself to sit up, feeling groggy. "Wow. You got right up."

"Where are we?" You whisper, rubbing your neck, you couldn't feel the puncture of whatever had got you. 

"On a truck… I don't know where we're going… Everyone is scared though." He says looking around as the trailer bounces a bit.

"You're not?" You ask.

"My dads a hero. He'll save us." The boy smiles at you. 

"You're brave, kid." You hum.

"My name's Takeru… My uncle is going to school to be a hero too. He's really strong." He grins. 

"Oh yeah? What's his name?" You ask peering about.

"Tooru." He answers, making the blood leave your face as you stare at the little boy.

"Oikawa…" You whisper.

"Yeah! You know him? He's kinda weird but he's nice." He chimes. You swallow and get up, pausing as you look down, finding yourself in your undergarments. 

'I need to get everyone out of here.' You think frowning. 'But what is there's more victims at the place we're heading?' You look at your hand and pause again. Your glove is gone, you'll have to be very careful.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Takeru blinks up at you. 

'I'm sorry Takeru, bare with me.' You think with a sympathetic frown before kneeling before him. "My name is ___. And I'm going to protect you."

"Sakusa!" Iwaizumi calls as everyone hurries off the train. "Are you hurt?" He asks. Sakusa glares down at the cloth he held to his arm.

"Only from my own venom." He responds. 

"You're sweating a lot…" Nishinoya frowns.

"Im angry. It happens." Sakusa answers, the fox brothers go past, sniffing the air deeply.

"If this really is Claw we're dealing with, they probably already left this area." Oikawa frowns.

"How are we going to find ___ then!?" Ryuu asks worriedly.

"I… Found ___." Akaashi states, looking at a screen.

"Huh?" They look at him.

"After we were attacked I mentioned putting trackers in everyone and ___ volunteered." He explains. Sakusa blinks before chuckling in relief covering his eyes.

"Of course…" 

"Then lets go get ___ back!" Tendo chimes.

"Sorry Tendo. You should leave this for heroes in training at least." Oikawa tells him before pausing and looking at his phone as it goes off. "Excuse me, my mom's calling." He adds moving away. 

"Oh that's right. I cant go… But let me know when you have ___. Im worried. So don't let ___ die." He says lightly, giving them all a rather chilling look. "See you later." He adds before leaving.

"Best friend is scary." Atsumu and Osamu say together.


	11. Safe

"Alright, end of the line. Tell us your quirks on your way out. Or you know… Die." One of the masked men say, opening the door of the truck. Takeru takes your left hand as everyone falls in line. 

'Lie… need to lie… Quirk…' You close your eyes briefly. 

"Quirk." One of the men demand from you and Takeru.

"Metal shield quirk." Takeru manages.

"Future sight quirk." You answer.

"Heh didn't see this coming did ya?" One teases. 

"... Ha." You huff before being herded into a tunnel that went into a mountain. Takeru stays close to your side as the group is taken into a large room where dozens of others were. They were terrified, many trembling in fear. 

"Feeding time in one hour then it's lights out!" One of the guards calls as the last of the group is herded in before the large metal door is shut behind them. You look around, going to a woman that seemed to have already given up. 

"Is this everyone?" You whisper.

"... No. The offensive quirks are in different rooms."

"What's exactly going on here?"

"Death." 

Your heart drops at her response and Takeru hugs your arm.

"I'm getting scared now ___…" The boy admits.

"It's okay. Tooru is my senpai after all." You offer him a smile. You peer about, frowning slightly. If Kenma were here he could tell you where the other hostages were. You peer around, non offensive quirks in this room only? You should be able to find someone.

"You have the look of a hero." A man comments lightly. You glance at him, eyes narrowing slightly. "Just saying… But what can you do? We're all separated from those that can fight back."

"You can fight back too… Can you help me find a quirk that can help me find the other hostages?" You request. 

"... Cat." He calls lightly. A smaller woman comes over, peering about uneasily. "This person wants to know where the other hostages are." 

The woman peers between you and him uneasily before moving to bite her fingertip. You swiftly grab your hand with your left, holding up your right index finger touching the floor to lightly mark it. They both tense, eyes lighting up. 

"Use my wrist. Be careful.. You whisper. She nods, using your finger to draw a map.

"I hear them. I know where they are… The size of their rooms from the echo of their steps. I hear them when they fight back. And I hear the screams when they're taken to the machine." She whispers, steadily tearing up as she finishes. You look over the map, she had even marked the machine. 

"It's… going to be alright." You whisper, mesmerizing the map before clearing it with your hand. "Because thanks to you, I have an idea of what I need to do." You peer about again, some of the hostages had huddled around you. 

"Are you going to save us?" 

"What can I do?"

You look them all over as they ask questions. "I'm not sure what I can do fighting alone. But, my friends will come even if I fail, I'll do what I can so everyone can escape." You rub the back of your shoulder where Akaashi had put the tracker. 'Assuming he's in range…' 

"Alright… Um… My name is Taka. My quirk is… This." He touches you and your body becomes transparent. "I don't know if that will help though." He adds letting you go and letting you return to normal.

"... Can you affect multiple people?" You ask.

"As long as they're touching, but my eyes get really blurry if I use my quirk too long." Taka murmurs.

"You can help the hostages escape when I make a move then. If it's combined with my quirk and Cat's you guys should be able to safely escape." You nod smiling a bit. You can do this, even if these quirks don't seem powerful or useful in normal life, you could succeed with this. "Any idea about those in the offensive quirk rooms?" You ask.

"Mmm I've heard fire in one… lightning in another. The last one is always quiet, but they say he has a valuable quirk, they're waiting on a high bid." Cat answers.

"High bid…" You frown. "... I don't want to know… But information is important… Can someone cover the children's ears?" You request noticing that Takeru wasn't the only little one listening, the adults move to cover their ears before Cat nods. 

"They're taking random people to steal their quirks and sell them to someone else. But the machine they use causes great agony and death… and it doesn't always harvest the quirks. Last week they lost a strong wind quirk. The boss was very angry." She whispers. 

You rock back a bit, the wind quirk reminds you of Nishinoya. 'I need to destroy that machine…' You think frowning everything made sense but it made you sick to your stomach. ' Right now we're all cattle waiting for slaughter.'

"They use the machine in the morning, depending on the highest bidders of the night." Cat tells you. 

"Okay… There's no lower floors right? Or a bad guy with a sensory quirk?" You ask.

"No. There is one with a zoom quirk. The rest are offensive and ones for catching. The catchers leave in the morning to find more easy targets." Cat breathes.

"Excuse me. I don't know if it's helpful, but I can project my thoughts to you if there's trouble." A little girl says. "My name is Honey." 

"Honey. That's perfect, and a very big help." You pat her head, she gives a small smile. "The morning huh… I don't want to wait that long… is there someone here that can hide a… Hole in the floor?" You ask.

"I can flatten this stone." Someone says, making a large stone disk.

"That'll work… I'll be digging blind though." You frown in thought. "Cat could you give me directions using Honey's quirk?"

"Yes. I'll be able to estimate where you go." Cat nods. 

"Alright. We're going to do this." You smile a bit. A ripple of relieved smiles passes through the immediate group. The door slams open and the villains bring in what seemed like a trough of leftovers. 

"Enjoy." The villains laugh strolling back out. 

"You're too close." Sakusa hisses. 

"Huh?" Ryuu shoots him a glare.

"Actually you should stay away, I can smell the toxins on him, its pretty strong." Atsumu says rubbing his nose.

"Oh… You okay dude?" Ryuu asks glancing at Sakusa.

"Would you be in his shoes?" Osamu says pointedly.

"... No. I'd be going on a rampage if I were him." Ryuu agrees. 

"I'm saving that for when we find them." Sakusa breathes. 

"Not if I get them first." Oikawa rumbles.

"Those villains are very much screwed…." Atsumu breathes uneasily. 

"I almost feel sorry for them." Osamu hums. "But if ___ is hurt when we get there…"

"Then that's just what they deserve." Atsumu agrees.

*+×*+×*+×

They turned off the lights Ren minutes ago. You move to the center of the room, a hostage with an eye-light quirk focuses on your digzone for you. You take in a breath, trying to focus on the size of your burst before touching the floor. A bit smaller than you wanted but it was enough. Using your quirk you tunnel into the stone, moving in the direction Cat had pointed out for you.

'You're halfway across the hall.' Honey informs you telepathically.

"Okay." You murmur, particals pretty much making this small crawl space pitch black. 'Don't think about that.' You silently tell yourself. 

'You're there.' Honey informs and you angle up, soon bursting into a steel room. The guy in it freezes, blinking at you in surprise.

"Hi." You both greet each other. 

"Um… I'm here to help everyone escape." You give a thumbs up.

"Where are your clothes?" He tilts his head.

"They took them. Everyone in my cell is like this." You respond and frown since he's fully dressed. 

"Oh… Here you go." He gives you his red jersey. "I'm Yaku, what's your plan?" He asks as you get out of the hole, pulling on the jersey. 

"Well, I should be able to make an escape tunnel for everyone then go destroy their killing machine." You answer with a nod. 

"Killing machine…" He echoes as you got to the wall and knock on it.

"Is this it Cat?" You say.

'She says yes.'

"Huh?" Yaku looks between you and the hole in confusion. You burst into the next room, having Yaku follow you. The smaller guy in it jerks in surprise looking at you with wide eyes.

"You're younger than us…" You comment gently reaching over and placing a hand on his head. "Its okay now, I'm going to get you out." He blinks and relaxes, blushing a bit. "What's your name?"

"Hinata Shoyou." He answers.

"Alright, last one then we can escape." You hum bursting into the final room. The dark haired guy sits against the wall quietly.

"It's him! The King of Shadows!" Hinata gasps, making the other send him a chilling glare. Hinata shrinks behind you at that. "Wh-what's up? Want to fight?" Hinata huffs. 

"If we're fighting it won't be with each other." You tell Hinata before looking at the one sitting. "Can you stand? Are you hurt?" You ask.

"I'm okay. Are we escaping?" He gets up, peering about briefly, he seemed kind of thin, he must've been here for quite some time. 

"Yes now listen up-" You pause as a gasp sounds in your head.

'A last minute bid! They're going to take someone!' Honey informs you, making your heart sink and look toward the wall, mind falling into a panic. 

"What's going on?" Yami asks as you hurry back to the hole. 

'They're taking Takeru!' Honey says, and you freeze, Oikawa's face coming to mind.

"Listen very carefully. You need to get everyone else to safety, and leave the villains to me." You tell the three before going to the door and bursting through it, slamming the guard's head into the wall before crossing the hall to the non offensive door, the guards there had already went to the main room with Takeru it seemed. You burst the door, the hostages stiffening as they look to you. "I leave them to you." 

"Right. Be careful." Yaku says warily as you make a move for the main room. You stop at the stone wall between the two metal entrances. 

"No! No! Dad! Tooru!" Takeru's voice cries on the other side. "Dad! Daddy!" Something about his cry made something snap your arm lashes out, bursting the whole wall as you move through the particles, stepping out in front of the two that had Takeru.

"Put. Him. Down." You order. They stiffen, dropping the boy and making him run to hide behind you. "How dare you threaten my senpai's nephew. I'll destroy everything." This snarling voice leaving you- was it really you? The room was full of small fry villains, a big guy with a scowl, and a man that steps forward with a growing and crazed grin.

"I-It's you! I've been looking for you. The one with the strong quirk that erases everything!" He points, chuckling like a maniac, drool leaving the corners of his mouth. "That demon man took my memories of you! But I've found you!" 

Your eye twitches, for a moment you see the first officer that had come to you after your father burst. "Officer." You manage.

"You remember me! I'm Clifton! Clifton Cloud! And I've been searching for you! Give me your quirk!" He laughs.

"Nah. This is my curse and mine alone." You respond. "Besides, you can't do anything if I destroy this machine. Right?" You growl, reaching for the machine they had nearly put Takeru in. Just standing near it made your stomach twist, it reeked of blood and death. 

"No. No no no! Get away from that-" Clifton does a squealing gasp as your hand brushes the machine, making it burst. The big man that had been silent until now suddenly slams his fists onto the ground.

"KILL!" He roars to his underlings.

Two come at you on either side, one is swiftly taken out by a flaming kick to the face, the other is hit by a swift lightning kick. 

"Everyone's out." Yaku informs, lightning flickering over him. 

"Good. Take Takeru and keep the others safe. You can leave these guys to me." You tell them.

"What? I'm not going to let you fight alone! I'm going to be a hero too." Hinata objects with a fierce gaze.

"Now's not the time to be arguing runts!" A small fry boasts, lunging at Hinata but his own shadow leaves the ground and hits him in the jaw. 

"He's right. I'm not leaving either." The dark haired hostage says, stepping on your other side.

"... Damn… Sorry Yaku, looks like you're handling the safety part on your own." You chuckle.

"Leave it to me. Don't let those to get themselves killed." He responds hurrying away with Takeru. 

"These damn kids! We'll show you what happens when you stand up to adults!" Another shouts, whips coming out of his palms. He swings at you but you easily burst them. Hinata was illuminating your right side with a brilliant fiery glow that surrounded him, fiery flares lashing out at the villains that tried to near him. On your left, the unknown hostage's shadow army was making a fierce stand. For younger guys they sure had amazing quirks. 

Beyond your current opponents, the big guy was getting even bigger, and you could feel him targeting you. "Come on then!" You shout at him, knocking your opponents back. He snarls, leaping into the air. You flip back out of his range, the shockwave knocking you back another meter or so. Your right hand smacks down on the floor sending up a cloud of particles.

"Billions of dollars wasted! Because of you!" He roars, arms swinging over you and clearing the particles. He grabs you, picking you up and holding your torso in both hands. "I'm going to crush your corpse after we take your quirk." He hisses, squeezing you. Two bundles of fur jump onto your shoulders before leaping at his face, biting and clawing at him like feral beasts. He howls, dropping you to move to rid himself of the foxes, but they leap away and a glass vial smashes against his face. 

"Atsumu! Osamu! And Sakusa!" You gasp looking over them. You tense at sight of Sakusa, he had a very intimidating aura around him. 

"You're a sight for sore eyes." Sakusa tells you.

"I would hug you but I feel like I'll die." You say as the twins hug you, helping you to your feet.

"You're correct." Sakusa nods as the rest of the dorm rushes past to help the two middle schoolers with the rest. "I know you don't mind. But against my preference I brought along a small army." 

"I see that. Thanks." You grin hugging the twins back.

"___! Tooru came to save us!" Takeru calls, running up and hugging you. 

"I told you that would happen." You chuckle patting his back as Atsumu puts a glove over your quirk hand.

"Actually it looks like you're handling everything well on your own." Oikawa comments coming over.

"Nu uh, I almost died at the end." You shake your head. "You guys are great heroes. Perfect timing." You tell them. 

"I don't really care about that. I'm just glad you're safe." Osamu places a hand on your head with a smile. 

"Aww. Osamu…" You chuckle.

"___!!" Bokuto and Nishinoya call, both tackle hugging you to the ground.

"... That looked like it hurt." Atsumu comments in amusement.

The police soon arrive, taking over and arresting all of the villains, except for Clifton who seemed to have vanished from the area. The hostages are put on a bus and taken to the nearest hospital where they're treated before being returned to their families. Your dormmates are scolded for not contacting the police sooner, but that's it, the police were quite thankful for the help. 

You return to the dorms with everyone, feeling exhausted as dawn is just a few hours away. You take a shower, relaxing a bit and cleaning up before getting dressed and going to Sakusa's room. He looks over, adjusting the shirt he had just put on. 

"Hey. Heading to bed?" He asks.

"Yeah. Just wanted to check on you." You tell him. 

"Why? You're the one that got kidnapped." He tilts his head. "I'm… Sorry I couldn't do anything."

"Don't be sorry. We saved a lot of people today." You grin. "It was scary, but I really thought things through until the last part. I think you would have been proud at how careful I was." 

"Heh. Proud huh." He comments, smiling a bit. "You did good ___," 

"Thanks. And Thanks for coming after me. It feels good. You know?" You chuckle.

"No… Sorry." He says.

"That's okay. One day I'll save you and you'll understand." You hum turning to the door. "Sleep well." You add reaching for the door knob. His arms come around you, hugging you close as his cheek touches your temple. You blink in surprise, cheeks warming up as you touch his arms. 

"Sleep well." He breathes after a few moments, opening the door for you and lightly guiding you out of your room before closing the door behind you. A smile comes to your lips and you chuckle before going to your room, finding Osamu sitting on your bed. He opens his arms to you, pulling you over him and onto the bed as he lays down with you. 

"Really…?" Atsumu huffs coming out of the bathroom before crawling into the bed with you two. Iwaizumi soon comes in, blinking at the two with a light glare. 

"Alright. You can stay. But take your fox forms and stay on that side." He says. The twins quickly do so and Iwaizumi gets in bed, back pressing against yours as he settles in. Bokuto peers in, pursing his lips in thought before focusing hard, taking form of a small horned owl, hopping into bed and wedging himself between your arms. 

Others start to pile into your room, sleeping on the floor, under the desk, in the closet. Kuroo opens the wall between you and Atsumu's room, bringing Atsumu's bed closer to yours before laying down near you and falling asleep. Some now crowding Atsumu's room. You smile to yourself, sleeping lightly feeling warm. 

*Meanwhile* 

Clifton hurries into his cabin cackling happily as he hurries about, packing a bag. "The south extractor may be destroyed but I still have the north and east! That quirk will be mine!" He gushes moving to the basement.

"We will destroy everything!" He drools a bit, hurriedly drawing up a design. "But first, how to nullify the quirk." He wipes his chin, eye twitching slightly as he hums to himself. 

"It doesn't like electricity." A voice makes him freeze, face paling. Clifton spins about as the red-haired teen makes his way down the stairs. 

"The demon!" Clifton gasps spinning about. Tendo blinks at him before chuckling.

"No. That was my dad. I knew you'd cause my ___ trouble, but I didn't think you'd become so obsessed." Tendo shakes his head. "Should've just asked mom to kill you." He rumbles darkly as he tilts his head. "Guess that falls on me now."

"N-No. Lets make a deal! We could rule together!" Clifton gasps.

"That is what I want. But not with some old psychotic bastard." Tendo hums. "Anyway. You should say some prayers. Your death is near." 

"No! Fuck you!" Clifton spits, Tendo just smiles and the lights go out, pitch black falling over the basement.

"Baki baki ni ore, nani wo? kokoro wo da yo～" 

"No! No! Stay away!" Clifton shrieks, scrambling to another desk, feeling about before finding a pack of matches, swiftly striking one for light, but a flash of a bluish blade slashes through his fingers and match, fingers falling to the floor. "No! No! Please! Please!" He screams, tears running down his cheeks, gripping his hand. He whimpers, waiting for the death. And the last words he ever hears are sang next to his ear. 

"Konagona ni kudake, nani wo? seishin wo da yo～"


	12. Cute Day

Sakusa blinks at the mass of sleeping people in your room, he leans in, eyes widening at the hole in the wall and even more people in Atsumu's room. You were at the center of everything, so many cuddling you. He straightens, going back to his room and going through his labelled vials before grabbing on and an odd little device. He locks the vial in the device and places it on your desk before switching it on and going back out, leaning on the wall.

Everyone starts to wake now. You sit up, holding the owl to your chest as you pause and peer around. "Why is everyone in my room…?" You ask, pausing as you look over at Kuroo on Atsumu's bed. "And where is my wall?"

"Oh. Don't. Don't change that!" Atsumu gasps, changing forms and sitting up, knocking Osamu off the bed. "I love it." He looks over the hole in the wall before looking at you. "Can we keep it?"

"... Sure why not." You sigh as Oikawa sits up scratching the back of his head and looking around.

"___, you need a bigger room." He yawns.

"I can do that." Kuroo raises his hand. 

"Make my room bigger too!" A small Bokuto voice and you all look at the bundle in your arms.

"Whoa… Bro you turned into a chibi." Kuroo gasps, leaning over as you both look at the little winged Bokuto.

"I feel cute." He grins putting his hands on his cheeks.

"You're adorable! I will keep you with me and protect you until you're big again!" You gush excitedly, cuddling him. Bokuto laughs cheerfully, cuddling you back happily.

"Yes! Spend the day with me!" He cheers.

"... You know we could just toss him out the window and see if he grows back." Kuroo hums.

"Kuroo. I've only had Chibi Bokuto with me for a moment, but I will legit fight everyone in here if you try to harm my cute Owlette." You warn. "And then I'll throw you out the window."

"Honestly… That sounds like a great time to me." He smiles.

"___ called me cute." Bokuto beams. 

"Awe… Sunshine." You cuddle him again.

"... Alright, breakfast time." Kuroo says getting up.

"Hey 'Samu, do you know how to cook owl?" Atsumu asks as his twin gets up off the floor finally. Osamu gives him a look before watching you cuddle Bokuto with a happy smile before smiling himself.

"I'm happy to say I don't. But I will start on breakfast." He says going out. 

"Yay! 'Samu food!" You and Bokuto cheer, hearing him chuckle in the hallway. Sakusa comes in once mostly everyone had gone downstairs. He turns off the device, looking over as you tilt your head curiously.

"What's that?" You ask.

"A humidifier I tinkered with to expel toxins." He answers. "I decided to try an alert toxin to wake everyone up. I think it was a success." He leans back on your desk. "I would ask you how you slept, but you seemed pretty happy before you woke."

"Mhm, I slept great. I felt safe with everyone nearby." You confirm with a nod before leaning your head on Bokuto's. "And look, I got a mini Bokuto out of it."

"I see that… How did that happen?" Sakusa asks.

"Well I wanted to cuddle ___, but there were a lot of people in the bed, and if changed into my big owl form everyone would kick me out. So I thought really hard about becoming a small owl and it worked!" Bokuto informs cheerfully before pausing. "But… I don't know how to get big again." He looks down. 

"That's okay. You'll figure it out Bokuto." You smile cupping his face and making him look at you. "And then you'll master it and become an even more amazing hero." You grin. His eyes shimmer as he looks up at you in awe. 

"I love you." He whispers.

"Awww I lo-" Sakusa covers your mouth at that.

"Do you let your guard down every time there's a small adorable creature in front of you?" Sakusa sighs while Bokuto pouts. 

"Yeah. I'm probably gonna get killed by an adorable bunny quirk." You nod with a chuckle. 

"... I believe that and it's not funny." Sakusa deadpans. "Let's go eat." He adds heading out the door. Bokuto climbs onto your shoulder as you follow Sakusa out. You reach up, rubbing his cheek with a knuckle he chuckles and hugs your hand in response.

"Oh! Do we have class today?" Bokuto asks as you reach the main floor.

"Actually we've come to discuss that with everyone." A familiar voice makes you look over to find FireCrow and Takeda. 

"Oh. Well we're heading to the dining room now. Everyone should be there." You tell them, leading the way. 

"Let's sit next to Akaashi." Bokuto hums cheerfully. 

"Sounds good." You hum sitting beside Akaashi, moving Bokuto to your lap. 

"Good morning." Akaashi greets you both.

"Good morning." You hum as Osamu brings the plates out, giving you a slightly larger helping than normal and an extra pair of chopsticks. You chuckle, feeding Bokuto and yourself at the same time.

"He's really enjoying that." Atsumu comments.

"I think ___ would be a good parent." Nishinoya hums watching you for a moment. "Oh right, do you need something Sensei?" He looks over at the two teachers. 

"... Last night after everyone returned to the dorm. Two more similar Claw facilities were found. But only because they had been completely destroyed, and the culprit Clifton Cloud that ___ informed us about hasn't been found. However, the police have found his cabin, with a large amount of his blood in the basement. Right now they're presuming he's dead." Takeda informs everyone, and you stop, a chilly silence falling over the room.

"So we're suspects." Kuroo guesses. 

"But we didn't know there were other facilities like that. And everyone was here last night." Iwaizumi objects.

"Unfortunately. These circumstances do appear very suspicious. But I believe you. There will be investigators coming here to observe all of Dorm one. Just be honest and I know it'll be fine." Takeda assures.

"But as a precaution, you're all under house arrest, and your classes are cancelled for the time being." Ukai adds.

Objections sound throughout the dorm at that. You shift, making Bokuto look up at you carefully.

"I'm sorry.. I feel like this is my fault." You tell him with a small frown. The objections stop there, some peering at you. 

"No. We got nothing to worry about." Atsumu sits back and folds his arms. "We went to get ___ back and that's exactly what we did. Nothing more."

"Right. So let's just enjoy the day off." Sugawara says lightly with a smile, uplifting the whole room.

"That's fine. But we're missing a lot of classes lately." Osamu comments.

"I'll think of something for that." Takeda assures. "But you've all been doing quite well. I'm just a bit sad that you don't let us help you much. We are pro heroes you know?"

"Ah. Next time we'll definitely tell you." Daichi assures.

"Next time huh? That's a bit troublesome to hear. But I get it… This year just seems to be filled with trouble for you guys." Ukai shakes his head and smiles. "Just keep taking care of each other like you do. You'll get through this."

"Yessir." 

Bokuto offers you some food with a small smile. "See? No worries. We're all together." 

"Right." You smile, taking a bite.

"You're so cute." He grins.

"What? But you are the cutest!" You gush eskimo kissing him. 

"Stop." Atsumu and Sakusa say together.

"___! I'm home!" A familiar voice chimes.

"Tendo!!" You cheer as he rushes in and hugs you, kissing your cheek.

"I'm so glad you're safe! I was worried yesterday and-" He pauses and looks at Bokuto. "What happened to you Koutarou? You're so cute!" He gasps.

"Thanks. I shrunk." Bokuto chuckles.

"He can't leave my side until he turns back now." You hum hugging the chibi.

"Aww. I'm going to take a picture." Tendo pulls away to take a few pictures with his phone, chuckling as you and Bokuto pose for a few. "Sooo cute." 

"Tendo, if you came to get me. We're under house arrest." You hum, leaning your head on Bokuto's head. 

"Huh? Why?" He tilts his head so you quickly explain the situation. "Oh. Yeah the destruction is on the news. But how do they tie you guys to that? Both of those places are two hours away." He says pointedly.

"Because we took down the first one?" You hum. 

"Oh… That's okay! I'll get us a movie to watch and snacks!" He decides cheerfully. "I'll be back!" He adds before hurrying out. 

"... Hey Kuroo could you finish merging our rooms?" Atsumu requests.

"I want my room to merge too." Osamu speaks up, receiving a glare from his twin. You blink and look at Oikawa as he smirks a bit. 

"Aren't you going to fight them ___?" The Dorm President teases. 

"... No." You assure looking at your mostly empty plate of food. "Bokuto you sure do eat a lot for a chibi." You comment.

"Kuroo had some too." He points.

"Ah alright then. Are you done? We got some major designing to do since my room just tripled in size." You smile, playing with his cheeks.

"Oooh I have a great idea!" Bokuto chimes suddenly hopping off your lap and flying out.

"Uh oh." You comment.

"I'll help out with rearranging then." Iwaizumi decides as you both get up.

"This is going to be chaotic…" Sakusa mutters following you up the stairs with Iwaizumi.

Tendo returns as you and the others are nearly done with rearranging things. "Wow. What happened here?" He peers around surprised.

"Kuroo." You answer as you look around. "Though I gotta admit, your quirk is really amazing for moving the room about."

"Only because it's an earth attribute." Kuroo gives a thumbs up. He had managed to move the closets to one wall, he couldn't do the same for the bathrooms though due to the plumbing. But there were open areas around the bathrooms, you and the twins have moved your dressers to go next to each bathroom. The desks were on the opposite wall of the closets, and the beds sat against the wall between the doors, Atsumu and yours were pushed together. 

"You know… My bed just seems to be too much at this point. You want it Iwaizumi?" Osamu asks.

"Sure. I'll be able to go back to my room with it." Iwaizumi nods.

"I'll help you with it." Kuroo says moving to help him with the bed.

"Hmm. If you move the beds over a bit we could mount the television on that wall there." Bokuto points.

"Yeah that would line up nicely." You agree and Tendo helps you and the twins move the beds a few inches. 

"This is coming along better than I thought." Sakusa comments.

"Kinda feels empty with how big it is." You hum.

"Yeah. It would look great if you guys had some hanging lights in here." Tendo says.

"Oh that would be great." Atsumu and Osamu say giving him inspired looks. 

"Right? And maybe some posters too." You grin.

"And maybe a rug or two." Osamu nods.

"... Damn we're under house arrest…" Atsumu sighs, making you and Osamu bow your heads.

"Damn…"

Tendo chuckles and shakes his head. "Well you got time to decide on what it is you want." He assures.

"Right, so what movie did you grab?" You ask as Sakusa and Osamu mount the tv before moving the low table over to hook up the dvr and laptop.

"I got a marathon." He takes out the box. 

"Awesome." You grin. 

"We're going to need snacks." Atsumu comments.

"I'm on it." Osamu states heading out.

"Mmm snacks." Bokuto drools a bit.

"I got something here, not enough for a marathon though." Tendo hands him a candy bar. Bokuto holds it in his hands, looking at the bar in awe because for him it was giant.

"Being small is the best!" Bokuto gasps, looking at you.

"Here I'll open it for you." You chuckle doing so. Bokuto takes a bite and hums in delight.

"This is the best day ever! It's not even my birthday!" He gushes cheerfully.

"Glad you're having a good day Bokuto." You climb on your bed, moving the chibi to your lap. Tendo moves to your side and Sakusa to the other side. Atsumu frowns a bit before taking Tendo's other side. 

"Look ___, I want to see this movie when it comes out." Tendo says, showing you a preview on its phone. "Its supposed to be about a kid raised by villains." 

"Ohhh that'll be interesting!" You comment. 

"I think so too." He smiles. "You know. I wish I could transfer to Raizu. It would be a lot of fun to live here with you." 

"Then why not transfer?" You tilt your head. 

"Hmm…" Tendo tilts his head back and looks at the ceiling in thought. "Because I can't see a future I want by attending Raizu." He states. 

"Oh… I see." You nod looking down. 

"What's so good about Kuri anyway? I mean. Come the Rescue Tournament we're going to win." Atsumu says stretching.

"So much confidence here." Tendo comments with a chuckle. "But you know. There's a reason Kuri is rising in the hero ranks so fast." 

"Hey guys! Osamu said y'all are watching a movie?" Nishinoya comes in with Ryuu.

"Yeah. Once Osamu returns." You hum, playing with Bokuto's cheeks again.

"Are you sulking ___?" Tendo tilts his head to peer at your face.

"Oh course not. I'm happy you're happy at Kuri." You look away from him. He hums and turns your chin to him. 

"That pout says otherwise." He chuckles with a warm smile. He meets your gaze and smiles more. "I've missed you. Can't wait until I can come steal you." 

"Um…" Bokuto covers your mouth, pushing you back and making Tendo pause.

"Oops. Too much I take it?" The redhead chuckles and settles in. "Sorry about that. I've been worried about ___." 

"Yeah. Sorry about that." You smile sheepishly. "But everything worked out." 

"We were all worried, especially Sakusa! He was pretty scary." Bokuto chuckles. 

"Shut up." Sakusa says.

"Well a part of that was because you felt responsible right?" You point out looking to Sakusa for confirmation. He pauses, offering a small nod. "I can't say I know I would've had the same reaction, but I definitely wouldn't have been myself." 

"Oh. Now I'm curious how you would have reacted if one of your friends got taken." Tendo hums tilting his head. "Actually. I've never seen you angry." 

"I haven't been angry in a while. But the last time I burst everything in my room. My caretaker was very upset about it. But I think she was worried about me." You recall quietly.

"Caretaker?" Atsumu echoes. 

"I um…." You trail off, debating on telling them. Tendo leans on you, taking your right hand in his. "When my quirk manifested, I was hugging my dad." You admit. The others except for Sakusa and Tendo tense, eyes widening slightly. "He burst, and when my mom found out by the police. She disowned me. And I was sent to live with a couple that could nullify or stop my quirk if needed."

"That's… Rough." Nishinoya frowns.

"You alright?" Ryuu asks lightly.

"Yeah. After I met Tendo, things got better. Though… Sometimes I would still lash out about it. But in my room where I wouldn't hurt anything, or anyone." You smile a bit. "And since I came here. I've been really happy." You poke Bokuto's nose. 

"We're happy you're here!" Bokuto cheers, hopping up and hugging your neck. 

"You're so unbelievably cute today…." You chuckle hugging him back. 

"Yeah ___ is the best!" Ryuu and Nishinoya chime in. 

"Kinda want to have a party now…" Atsumu comments. 

"Movie first." You tell him. 

"Snacks." Osamu says coming in with a few trays, getting followed in by half of the dorm. "Sorry. I told them not to follow me." He adds getting on the bed near his brother.

"So what kind of movie are we watching?" Oikawa asks

"Oh. They're mostly horror." Tendo grins. 

"Ohh! Is there a shark one? I haven't seen one of those in a while!" Bokuto gasps.

"I do." Tendo takes it out of the bag and passes it to Nishinoya whom passes it to Kenma to be put in. Everyone soon settles in.

Half way through the second movie, people started to get called in for questioning. By the fourth movie, so are you, but they were mainly confirming everyone's whereabouts during the time of the other facilities destruction. 

After that, everyone was called back down to the main room so Takeda could inform the Dorm of an additional day under house arrest before the normal scheduling would resume. 

"Alright then. Lets have a party tomorrow then." Atsumu smiles.

"You're really determined about that." You comment.

"Sounds fun." Bokuto says, rubbing your cheek.

"Sounds disastrous." Akaashi deadpans.

"Hey! Akaashi! Live a little!" Bokuto huffs. Akaashi just sighs quietly and looks away.

"I don't see the harm in it." Oikawa says. "So long as no one leaves the dorm."

"Oh! Can I come back?" Tendo looks at you hopeful. 

"Why not stay the night?" You tilt your head.

"Because I have class tomorrow, silly." He pats your head. "But I'll definitely be back tomorrow." 

"Do not bring Ushijima." Oikawa tells him firmly. 

"Aww but Wakatoshi wouldn't cause any harm." Tendo chuckles. Oikawa fixes him with a glare at that.

"Oikawa don't glare at my best friend or I'll make those beautiful eyes disappear." You tell him.

"You think they're beautiful?" He gasps blinking at you.

"Very." You nod, making him turn away sheepishly.

"Gross." Iwaizumi and Sakusa say looking at his face.

"You're both rude!" Oikawa snaps while Tendo hugs you cheerfully.

"My my! Someone sure is protective of me!" He teases. You chuckle and touch his arm as your eyes meet.

"Of course, you're my best friend. I'll do what I have to to protect you." You breathe. He blinks and smiles more.

"Me too."


	13. Party Crashers

"Bokuto, change back already." Atsumu says, waking you up. 

"Shhh you're going to wake up ___." The chibi says cuddling you.

"Keep hogging ___ and I'll toss you out the window." Osamu huffs.

"You're supposed to be the nice one…" Bokuto grumbles.

"I was at first because it was nice seeing ___ smiling so much, but now I'm getting jealous too. So change back." Osamu tells him. You start to chuckle, making them all freeze and look at you. 

"... When did you wake up?" Atsumu whispers as you crack yours eyes open, still chuckling.

"Osamu wants cuddles." You snicker making his twin blush. 

"I-I didn't say-" You hook an arm around his neck, pulling him down to cuddle him. "... Nevermind." Osamu finishes, hugging you. 

"... One of you needs to move, I can't get a hug." Atsumu frowns. 

"You don't need it." Osamu says.

"I'm not moving. I'm happy." Bokuto chuckles hugging your face cheerfully. 

"That looks suffocating…" Sakusa's voice makes you pause and look over. "Get off of ___." 

"And here's the cactus." Atsumu comments.

"Cactus-Omi!" Bokuto cheers sitting up.

"Don't give me weird nicknames." Sakusa glares.

"Omi sounds cute." You comment sitting up. "I always did like your name. Kiyoomi." You hum, pursing your lips. "Kiyoomi~" 

".... I'm going to have to ask you to stop…" Sakusa says, pink adorning his visible face and ears.

"Ohhh. Sing my name too." Atumu and Osamu say.

"Hm? Okay? Atsumu~ Osamu~." You sing lightly and they cover their faces in response. Bokuto puffs his cheeks at them. "Hmm. I'm gonna shower." You hum getting up with the chibi and going to pick out clothes. 

"I like that shirt." Bokuto points.

"I like it too. Samu gave it to me." You smile, letting Bokuto pretty much pick your clothes for the day, before starting for your bathroom. Sakusa takes Bokuto from you before you go in, giving you a look as he sighs quietly. "Right. Almost forgot." You nod slightly embarrassed before going in. Sakusa looks at the door before he looks at the twins who silently nod and go to open a window. Sakusa calmly tosses Bokuto out but he flies back in, head butting Sakusa in the stomach before landing at the doorway and sticking his tongue out at them. 

The twins share a glance before taking their fox forms, making Bokuto jump before flying out with them close behind. Sakusa straightens, holding his stomach with a grimace. "Damn vermin…."

You soon come back out after getting clean and dressed, blinking at the empty room. "... Why do I feel uneasy?" You frown heading out of the room and down the hall. 

"Akaashi! Help!" Bokuto calls from downstairs.

"He can't help you! Sakusa just-" Kuroo's response trails off. You frown and hurry downstairs as the foxes corner the chibi, stepping closer and closer.

"If you do what I think you're about to do. I will kick you both out of the room." You scold with a glare, making them all freeze.

"___!!" Bokuto flies into your neck, hugging you with teary eyes.

"W-We were just playing! Right Sakusa?" Atsumu says change back.

"I'm not part of this." Sakusa looks away.

"Liar." Osamu huffs, changing back as well.

"Picking on Bokuto just because he's small and sweet, shame on you." You grumble, hugging Bokuto while he sticks his tongue out at them. 

"... You're spoiling him." Atsumu frowns lightly.

"Of course. Bokuto is worth spoiling." You smile, cuddling his cheek. "Come on I'll make us breakfast." You tell the chibi.

"Really? You're the best ___!" He gasps happily.

"Bokuto, you need to be careful, the cuter you are the more I want to squeeze you to death." You warn.

"Alright. I'll be careful- Hey Hey Hey! Good morning Akaashi!" He raises his arms with a cute grin. Your arms tense and you pass the chibi to Akaashi before turning and bear hugging the closest person to you.

"Keh!" Sugawara gasps for air, patting your back from the surprise death grip. "O-Okay…. Cant breathe!" He barely manages, making you let him go so he can gasp for air. "That's… Dangerous."

"That. Was almost Bokuto. Sorry." You frown patting his back. 

"Oh… Be more careful Bokuto." Sugawara coughs.

"But I didn't do anything." Bokuto says as you take him back to start on food.

"So what food do we have for a party anyway?" You ask the twins as you start to collect ingredients to make breakfast

"... Not a lot. We didn't get the chance to send anyone out for food in a while…" Osamu admits with a frown. "And with so much dorm time it's going down faster."

"Can we ask another dorm to get us food?" You look over at Oikawa.

"Yeah… Or we could invite them and have them bring their own food." Oikawa smiles.

"This party is going to be huge." Atsumu grins.

"Daichi, you know people in dorm two right? Could you handle that part?" Oikawa requests.

"Alright." Daichi nods, taking out his phone.

"Atsumu and I will start planning the rest. So don't worry about anything." Oikawa adds, hooking an arm around Atsumu's neck. 

"Yeah. This is going to be great." Atsumu rumbles as they both head out. You glance at the doorway before focusing on food again.

"Did anyone else imagine fire when Oikawa said they were going to work together?" You ask.

"I did." Osamu and Akaashi answer. 

"That's pretty tame compared to what I just imagined." Sakusa says.

"I'm scared to know." You chuckle lightly. 

"You should be." Sakusa says peering at his phone. "Tendo's on his way. And he says he's bringing two surprises with him." He informs. He was currently relaying messages from Tendo for you since Claw had destroyed your phone when they took most of your clothes.

"I thought he had classes though? He better not be skipping…" You frown.

"Maybe he's on errands today." Sakusa reminds you.

"Oh right." You nod, finishing up yours and Bokuto's breakfast. "Bokuto, I just noticed, you're really light."

"My bones are hollow. If I was my original size you could probably hold me up on your arm." He informs cheerfully.

"Oh… That would look cool…" You comment, going to the dining room and sitting down with him.

"Yeah! I'll try to get big again after breakfast. I like this. But I want to hug you more." He hums as you start to eat. 

"You're so cute. Just don't hurt yourself trying. Okay?" You breathe as he starts to eat now.

"Mhm!" 

After breakfast, Bokuto heads back to his room to focus on returning to original size and you help Osamu with cleaning up.

"___! I'm home!" Tendo's voice rings out from the lobby. 

"Tendo!" You call back and he soon appears with Kita. "Kita!??" You gasp in surprise.

"Hello ___, have you been well?" Kita tilts his head.

"Uh yeah I think so. What brings you here?" You ask.

"I was helping a rice farmer recently and he gifted me this big bag of rice. Grandma and I don't need this much so I thought I'd give it to you and your dorm." He says.

"... You're an angel." You murmur as Osamu takes the sack.

"Mmm this smells good and fresh." He mutters, taking it to the pantry. 

"Thank you, Kita. You're so thoughtful. We needed some more food too." You tell him, touching his arm with a smile.

"In that case I'm glad I made the trip. I tried to message you but Tendo informed me that it got destroyed during an encounter with Claw?" He tilts his head.

"Yeah. I haven't had the chance to get a new one. Sorry about that." You say sheepishly.

"No need to apologize. I'm just glad you're well." He assures. 

"Oh right! Second surprise!" Tendo holds out a bag to you. You blink at it before taking it and peering in.

".... You got me a new phone?! I told you I could handle it." You give him a pout. 

"That's okay you can pay me back by saying three magic words." He grins holding up three fingers.

"I love you."

"I was going for 'you're my hero' but I like that better. Love you too." He says sheepishly rubbing his neck. "I already programmed it and got most of your stuff back on it." 

"You're the best." You hug him. 

"Thank you for noticing." He jokes. "Kita says he'll stay for the party. I gotta go finish my errands." He says, pulling away. "Be back soon." He boops your nose before heading back out.

"Alright. Be careful!" You call after him before turning to Kita. "Come on. You're going to like my dormmates." You smile, taking his hand and leading him around to introduce him.

"They're really lively." Kita chuckles after meeting a few. 

"Yeah. They're all pretty amazing too." You comment, smiling a bit as you catch Sakusa escaping up the stairs as the first floor becomes more crowded. "I'm so glad I came here." 

"You do seem happier." He comments peering at you briefly before looking around. "I know we've only met twice. But I can tell you have changed a lot between the first time and now. I've been thinking about it a lot for some odd reason. Especially recently." He frowns slightly before meeting your gaze. "Can we speak in private?" He asks, the volume of everyone around you was increasing a bit.

"Sure. Lets go to my room." You nod, leading him up stairs and into your room. "What's wrong?" 

"Not long after you left, I've been noticing… Certain people during my daily routines. They weren't there before, and no one seems to notice them because they're always in the background." He tells you, rubbing his hands together. "I keep remembering how your school was just attacked. I may be paranoid. But something doesn't seem right. The way they all seem to face the school when I spot them." 

"You didn't tell anyone?" You frown.

"I've tried. But they always leave before someone goes to check. I'm actually starting to feel like I'm imagining it." He sighs resting his forehead on his hands. "I don't want to worry grandma so I've been acting like normal… But I'm worried." 

You place your hand on his back, leaning on him as you think quietly. "Inari is a hero school. But you guys mainly focus on agriculture, and you don't have dorms like Okari and Raizu. So if this is Bloody Horizon they might be marking for a day time attack." You say. He pauses and looks at you, seeming a bit pale.

"That would take preparation." He nods. "But what can I do if no one believes and I have a healing quirk?" He looks at you. 

"You leave it to Raizu Dorm One, who is on their last day of house arrest." You smile, giving a thumbs up. He blinks at you and smiles, leaning on you in relief.

"Thank you." He says lightly.

"I told you to call on me." You wink. He smiles a bit with A chuckle and looks away. 

"Well I'm going to need your new number for that." He points out.

"Oh right. Lets see.." You pull out your new phone to get the new number. "Awe… I never moved my wallpaper to the cloud." You realize. 

"Can't replace it?" He hums.

"No. I took it on the train ride back after we spent the night with you." You tell him, handing him your phone. He copies the number before handing it back.

"Well. You can always make new memories to hold onto." He says straightening up. "Let's go party." 

"Wow. It hits differently when you say it." You comment as you both leave your room.

"Good or bad?"

"Well. My desire to party just skyrocketed."

"You say some cute things."

The party felt like it officially began as you got downstairs, music taking over the first floor and everyone moving to the beat. Osamu passes out drinks and snacks from the kitchen. Oikawa and Atsumu taking turns playing dj while Nishinoya and Ryuu just rocked out. 

Tendo came back as the sun started to go down, bringing along Ushijima, Semi, Reon, and a few others you haven't met before. Tendo gives you a cheerful hug, introducing you to some of his classmates before they all went to mingle. Bokuto finally comes back down stairs too, back to his original size.

"Aww, Bokuto, you look exhausted buddy." You smile, touching his cheek.

"My head hurts a little. But it's time to party." His eyes ignite as he grins. "So let's dance!" He chuckles, pulling you toward the dancing crowd. So you let yourself get swept up in the music, new dancing partners finding you every now and then. You also discover that Ushijima is a surprisingly good dancer. But it seemed a bit ridiculous for him so Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and Atsumu were all snickering as they watched. 

You lock eyes with Atsumu and beckon him over for a dance, which he happily accepts, coming over to dance with you. He starts getting into it, then he trips over a table, making everyone pause and look at him while Bokuto busts out laughing. Atsumu sits up looking redder than a tomato. Feeling his embarrassment, you go over to help him up and purposely fall over the table too. A few chuckle at that.

"You guys are clumsy, I'll help you-" Then Kuroo does the same, falling beside you and making everyone crack up, including you and Atsumu. The formerly embarrassed laughs as he takes your hand and gives you and Kuroo a grateful smile. "Alright, back to the party!" Kuroo cheers as Bokuto helps him up. 

"Wooo!" Everyone cheers and Atsumu helps you to your feet. 

"Come on. I need a break." He murmurs to you and heads upstairs with you.

"You okay? Didn't get hurt?" You look him over.

"Yeah. Think it would've felt worse if you weren't there. Kuroo too." He says, rubbing his cheek in embarrassment. "Ahhh.." He shudders remembering it before hugging you. "Thank you." He grumbles hiding his face in your neck. 

"Heh. No problem. I would've felt bad if I did nothing." You rub his back. He doesn't move for a moment, letting out a sigh.

"When is it going to be my turn to help you out. You're so damn capable and keep saving me." He complains pulling back before seizing your face and looking into your eyes, seeming so serious. "I'm going to save you one day. And you better tell me what a damn good hero I am." He declares.

You blink at him, nodding as you start to chuckle. "Alright deal." 

"Why the heck are you laughing? I'm being serious." He huffs.

"That was just cute. You're cute Atsumu." You chuckle. Making him turn red and hide his face in your shoulder.

"Damn you. Stop throwing me off." He grumbles. 

"Yoohoo! Atsumu! It's your turn to pick the music." Oikawa calls, peering into the hall. "Oopsie. Did I interrupt something?" He smiles innocently as Atsumu straightens up.

".. Damn. Coming." Atsumu tells him before peering at you. "Come back down soon. You probably want to check on that guy right?" He adds before heading downstairs. Oikawa watches him go before coming over.

"I haven't been able to say this, but since you're alone, let me just say this." He stops in front of you, meeting your gaze. "Thank you for taking care of my nephew. He keeps telling me all about what happened. And every time I just feel so relieved you were there." 

"I'm glad I was too. How is he doing though?" You ask.

"He's good. I hear he hasn't had any nightmares yet. So I think I can thank you for that too. I… Don't want to imagine what would've happened if you weren't there." He looks out the window before smiling a bit. "But now. I'm really starting to see you as a rival again."

"You're going to beat me up again aren't you?" You deadpan.

"How rude! I'm not Iwa-chan you know!" He objects, huffing his cheeks a bit and making you laugh. He chuckles himself, looking away. "Come dance with me before the party ends." He tells you before heading back downstairs. 

Shaking your head in amusement you go to Sakusa's door and knock lightly before going in, blinking in surprise as you find Kenma on the bed playing his handheld game. You close the door behind you. "Oh hey Kenma. Kuroo was looking for you."

"I know. He hasn't thought of Sakusa's room yet. So I think I'm safe." Kenma glances toward the party, eyes changing colors to watch something for a moment before changing back and focusing on his game again. "Still safe."

"I see.." You chuckle a bit before peering at Sakusa as he watches you from the corner of his eye. 

"You came to check on me didn't you? There's no need for that. I'm content not being in that crowded hell…" He says looking over a vial.

"So harsh." You sigh. "So you won't come out into the hall and dance with me?" 

".... Do I look like I know how to dance?" He says with a straight face.

"Neither does ___ from what I saw." Kenma comments, making you blush and toss him a look. "But you are better than Atsumu." He chuckles.

"That's mean Kenma. You probably can't dance either." You scoff.

"You're not wrong. Now if we're talking about a dancing game ...."

"We're not." You and Sakusa say together. Kenma chuckles again at that.

"Go dance. I promise not to look." He tells you both. You blink and look to Sakusa hopeful at that. Sakusa tries to avoid your gaze before sighing and getting up.

"Dammit." He curses before following you out the door. "Somehow I knew this was going to happen." He comments as you pull on some gloves and offer a hand to him.

"Of course Sakusa. Don't you know me by now?" You tease. He blinks and takes your hand, pulling you closer to himself. 

"Every time I think I do, you change up on me." He responds with some annoyance as you start to dance together. 

"I do? Didn't know." You chuckle.

"Lets say for instance. Your choice to suddenly come to Raizu." He says pointedly. 

"Where did you think I would go?"

"Itachi." He says. "It was the obvious choice since it was closer and a mostly academic school." 

"I know. It was going to be my choice until I started having the hero dreams." You admit nodding.

"Dreams… You changed everything over dreams?" He huffs, squinting at you.

"Yeah. Dad called them a heart call." You nod. 

"Heart call…??" He tilts his head lost.

"Mhm. Sometimes when a dream seems important enough to repeat, there is something your heart wants in it." You explain. 

"... The heart's just a muscle." He tries to rationalize.

"Don't give me that. Haven't you found something that you want so much that your chest swells or hurts? That's your heart talking." You hum, looking into his eyes. He meets your gaze then, falling silent for a moment.

"Alright. I think I understand now." He looks away. 

"Hey Sakusa. Why did you pick Raizu?" You ask. 

".... My heart called for it." He says unsurely. 

"You can't use that after I just explained it." You frown. He grumbles, narrowing his eyes briefly.

"I found it had something that Itachi didn't." He says before pulling away and stretching a bit. "I'm done now. Go find a better dance partner." He adds, turning to go into his room. You frown a bit in disappointment before pushing it away and straightening.

"Hey Kiyoomi? Are you okay? Did I push too much?" You ask carefully.

"No. I'm fine." He assures looking back and meeting your gaze. "I'm really glad I stopped you. The day we met…" He adds before going into his room. You blink at the door before grimacing a bit at the shameful memory.

"Me too." You murmur looking down briefly before heading back downstairs. 

"___! There you are!" Tendo chimes hugging you. "You okay?" He murmurs without looking at your face.

"Yeah. I'm good." You smile hugging him back. "Lets dance Tendo."

"Mmm but I'm not done hugging you. Lets just bob like we're dancing, or thrash about like fishes!" He chuckles, making you laugh. 

"I don't wanna be a fish." You tell him as he pulls away.

"Fine. We'll dance like normal people." He sighs.

"Don't force yourself Tendo." You snicker, nudging him. 

"Yeah you're right-" He suddenly stops moving, eyes starting to glow. You freeze, blinking in surprise. This was an involuntary quirk activation for him, which was a sign that something very bad was about to happen. Your eyes go to the stereo and you swiftly rush to unplug it, making everyone stop.

"Everyone get down!" You shout before diving at Tendo and knocking him down as a sudden pulse rips a hole through the dorm. You hold up your hand, bursting the falling debri that rained down from above. 

"Hope ya don't mind us crashing the party kiddos!" A laugh sounds as a villain walks over some debris. "Now. Where's the destruction quirk?" He hums.

You get up, peering around as some of the others rise too. Iwaizumi being the closest swings a flaming fist, sending the villain flying back out. "Fuck off." Iwaizumi huffs. You move to join him, swiftly pulling him out of the way and bringing up your right arm to burst the large rock that came flying in. 

"What he said." You growl, holding out your arm and feeling the air shift around your hand. A rifle lowers onto your arm as Akaashi cocks it, calmly taking aim. 

"Wakatoshi, there's two more coming around the other side." Tendo manages, getting up as he wipes away bloody tears. 

"Leave them to me." Ushijima says, moving to face the opposite wall as a large drill arm breaks through. Ushijima catches it, hands crushing it into pieces, making the surprised villain stagger back. 

"Braxton! We got a power quirk here too!" The large villain calls. 

"What are these guys? Members of Claw?" Atsumu growls.

"The way they keep going on about quirks, they probably are." Osamu breathes. 

"Wrong kiddies! We're the Black Water gang." A voice chimes above. You freeze and look up with Iwaizumi and Akaashi as a blue haired man smiles down at you from a black blob that he stood on. The inky black blob suddenly moves but chains wrap around you three, yanking you out of the way. 

"Don't zone out now!" Oikawa says as a rancid scent fills the air. 

"Gross. What is that?" Nishinoya says as the twins start to gag, covering their noses.

"Death. And a lot of it." Atsumu answers with watery eyes.

"That's right lad. You all can call me Death." The blue haired villain chuckles peering at you. "Yer the one wit' that nice destruction quirk that the boss wants." 

"Tell your boss that if he wants it. He can come try for it himself." You huff. Death gives a whistle, chuckling in amusement.

"Yer a fiery one. I'm almost convinced to do just that.." He says putting a knuckle to his chin.

"Times up Kobalt." Tendo breathes, making the blue haired man look to him sharply.

"What didja just call me?" Death narrows his red colored eyes at him. Tendo just smiles and shakes his head before canisters come bouncing down the stairs, gas spewing out and filling the immediate area. You instinctively hold your breath, trying to see through the cloud. A black mass shoots out at you but Oikawa grabs you, falling out of the way as the inky water moves about in search of you, soon leaving as the smog clears. Death was gone. But the other villains were stuck paralyzed. 

"Is everyone alright?" Oikawa calls.

Some respond with murmurs,the rest seemed paralyzed as well.

"Thanks Sakusa." You say, getting up.

"There's more coming." Tendo tells you. "But. I think we'll be okay." 

"Okay." You relax a bit, going to his side as a shape barrels through the hole at you. The villain's arm turns into a spike as he swings at you, but you don't feel the need to dodge just before someone grabs his head and slams it into the wall. 

"Don't touch my kid. Bitch." The familiar woman growls.

"Language Elinor." Her husband sighs, stepping through the hole with two unconscious villains. Another comes up behind him for an attack but he simply points behind himself and the villain jerks like he had been shot, falling to the ground. "Fuck off."

"Language Hitoshi." Elinor hums.

"Why do I love you so much?" Hitoshi wonders as FireCrow and Takeda soon join in.

"You always tell me its instinct." Elinor giggles.

"Is everyone alright!?" Takeda asks worriedly.

"Everyone is still here and alive." Kenma answers coming down the stairs and looking around. "Amazingly."

"Auntie Eli! Uncle! How are you?" Tendo chimes, back to his usual self, hugging your caretakers cheerfully.

"Hey Tendo! You've gotten big!" Elinor greets happily as Hitoshi chuckles, patting his back.

"Wasn't expecting you to be here." Hitoshi comments.

"I came to party with ___." Tendo informs before looking back at you. The couple shift as they meet your surprised gaze.

"Hey ___…" Elinor waves awkwardly. "You look healthy… I'm glad." She smiles a bit.

"What's… Going on?" You tilt your head confused. "Why are you here?"

"Well. With everything that's been going on at Raizu. We've been worried, so we're here to be part of the school's security." Hitoshi says, showing you a badge. 

"Worried…?" You echo.

"Yeah… Even if you don't like us, we still think the world of you." Elinor says lightly. Your heart drops a bit. You never noticed. Or you didn't want to notice. While you had treated them and wanted to see them as strangers, they had become attached to you. 

"I never hated you." You murmur, making them blink. "I just didn't want to get attached only to be abandoned again." You look down, tears of guilt coming to your eyes and threatening to leave. "I'm sorry for everything… And thank you for taking care of me." You move to give a bow, but they throw their arms around you suddenly. 

"Don't cry Elinor." Hitoshi sniffs.

"Don't tell me not to when you're about to do it." Elinor cries hugging you tighter. 

"Aww." Tendo joins in the group hug. "This is so sweet. Don't cry." 

"Okay okay. Get off." You free yourself rubbing your eyes. "You almost made me cry too." You grumble. Elinor giggles hugging you again while Hitoshi chuckles.

"Let go Eli' you're going to make ___ mad." He says.

"But I'm so happy, darling." Elinor pouts.

"Come on. We need to help clear out these bastards." He implores, gesturing to the villains. His eyes move to Sakusa giving him a nod of acknowledgement before gathering the downed villains with the help of some of the students. Elinor pulls away, brushing a hand through your hair with a small smile.

"I'm proud of you." She whispers before moving to help. You watch them quietly, feeling Tendo and the others come to your side.

"I never realized…. Never stopped to think of what they thought of me… now that I have.. It all just feels wasted." You frown.

"There's no point in worrying over things that have already happened. You just need to do what you can now." Sakusa says.

"Yeah… I'll try." You smile. "Sucks about the party though."

"Right!?" Atsumu and Oikawa gasp.

"I had a feeling this would end up with the destruction of the dorm. Just did not expect the cause." Akaashi says, looking about.

"Eh, it's just the living room and lobby walls that got destroyed… I should be able to fix most of this by myself. Just going to need new doors." Kuroo comments.

"Oh good. The rice is safe." Osamu sighs.

"Why was rice your main worry?" Atsumu scoffs.

"You were doing enough worrying over ___ for the both of us." Osamu retorts.

"Ew." Sakusa says.

"Aww the fox really loves you." Tendo chuckles, making Atsumu turn red.

"I do not! In fact! I hate all of ya!" He snaps.

"He's so cute when he's in denial." You hum.

"Shut your trap!"


	14. Please Don't Go

"So that's the situation." Oikawa nods in thought. You called for attention after breakfast, after the Kuri students had finally gone. Everyone had spent the night, since you sort of made them stay so you wouldn't worry.  
"Yeah. I'm going to to ask sensei if it's okay. But I still plan to help Kita even if they don't like the idea." You tell him.  
"That sounds dangerous. Especially after last night." Iwaizumi folds his arms.  
".. I know… But I still want to do something." You say looking down.  
"We know." Iwaizumi sighs.   
"I don't mind. If we can stop them before anyone gets hurt that will be more than enough for me." Oikawa says in thought. "I'll message sensei about it. But we should send a small group."   
"I'm going." Atsumu and Sakusa state.   
"Me too." Osamu says.  
"I'll go as well." Oikawa decides. "Iwa-chan will be in charge while I'm away. Kenma we'll need your eyes too. And Kuroo."   
"What about me?" Bokuto frowns.  
"It should be fine with this group." Oikawa shakes his head, making Bokuto frown.  
"But I'll feel better with Bokuto there. Now that he can change his size, his owl form is even more useful." You interject.  
"That's true… Alright Bokuto, you can come. Kita, do you have enough room for all of us?" Oikawa asks.  
"I do. Thank you. All of you." Kita gives you a nod.   
"Sensei is on his way. I'll explain things. Go pack to be away for a few days." Oikawa instructs as he checks his phone.   
"Yessir." You nod and hurry upstairs.   
"So this will be a stealth mission right?" Atsumu says a bit excitedly.  
"Sort of. Kita says he can get me into the school with him too." You tell them.  
"That's cool. We'll be in the fields. 'Samu and I almost decided to go to Inari." Atsumu chuckles.  
"Really? Why didn't you?" You ask.  
"'Tsumu slept in late and I had to go back home to drag him there but we were too late for the entrance exam." Osamu informs.  
"That sucks." You comment.  
"Nah. We got to meet you at Raizu's so it's not really a problem." Atsumu waves his hand with a smile.  
"Heh…" You smile thoughtfully reaching over and rubbing his head, making him chuckle.  
"Stop that. I'm not in my fox form." He moves your hand away. Osamu blinks at him with a straight face before leaning his own head to you for a head pat.  
"'Samu is so cute." You chuckle patting his head. "So soft.." You hum thoughtfully.  
"H-Hey. I was kidding." Atsumu frowns leaning forward.  
"Too late now, Osamu gets all the cuddles." You tease, hugging Osamu's neck.  
"No. Pet me." Atsumu huffs, pushing Osamu away.   
"You had your chance." Osamu chuckles holding onto you. Atsumu frowns before pausing and taking his fox form. His ears droop and he gives the fox form of puppy dog eyes.  
"Awww…." You gasp, reaching for him.  
"That's cheating." Osamu huffs as you scoop up 'Tsumu and cuddle him happily. Osamu shakes his head before pausing and looking toward the doorway.  
".... I'm judging all of you." Iwaizumi informs from the doorway.  
"Aw…" You frown. "Don't do that Dorm Da-" Atsumu changes back in time to cover your mouth.  
"What was that?" Iwaizumi's eyes narrow.  
"Dorm Vice-President." Atsumu and Osamu respond.  
" … Anyway, Takeda is here and wants to talk to ___." Iwaizumi tells you.   
"Okay then." You hum before looking at Atsumu. "Change back I wasn't done cuddling you."   
Atsumu blinks before giving a smile and chuckling, changing back. You stand up with him, carrying him down stairs as you nuzzle his fur. Takeda blinks at you as you reach the lobby.  
"Um… hello ___, Atsumu. Glad to see you two are getting along now." He comments.  
"You wanted to see me sensei?" You ask, hugging Atsumu like a teddy bear.  
"Ah yes. I'm not sure that we should let you students try to handle the affairs at Inari over a paranoia." He tells you straightening.  
"But. There's a good chance he's right." You point out. "Having us there gives Inari more of a fighting chance against a surprise attack."  
"And what if he's wrong and you end up wasting a few more days?" He responds.  
"That's irrelevant. I won't feel any regret if he's wrong. But if he's right and I'm not there to help a friend that's helped me without hesitation. That will be a regret that stays with me forever. So whether you like it or not. I will go to his side until he feels at ease again." You tell him, meeting his gaze.   
"I see.. If you feel that strongly about it then I suppose all I can do is help." He nods, shoulders relaxing. "Just handle this responsibly. And if nothing happens in three days. You are to come back."   
"Thank you sir." You breathe relaxing before turning to head upstairs, pausing to find Kita watching you quietly. "Hey… How long were you there."  
"Long enough to know I made a good choice." He smiles lightly. You smile a bit before continuing up stairs and back to your room with Kita trailing behind.  
"Oh. Osamu, did you just pack our stuff for us? We weren't even gone that long." You huff in surprise.  
"I'm fast. And it's easy when 'Tsumu isn't being a distraction." Osamu answers as you cuddle the fox cheerfully.  
"I don't mind. He's funny." You hum.   
"... Anyway we're waiting on the others right? Lets put our things in the lobby." Osamu says leading the way with his and his brother's bag.  
You carry your bag down, placing it against the lobby wall next to the twins' now we just wait. You breathe against Atsumu's cheek. He rumbles cuddling up to you in response. "Still judging you." Iwaizumi says as he passes through the lobby.  
"Judge away. I'm not done." You chuckle.   
"You're in a cuddling mood now I see." Kita comments.  
"Its his fault for being so cute and soft." You huff.  
"Cute and soft fits you better." Oikawa says coming down stairs.  
"I half agree. If its a cute competition, chibi Bokuto has all of us beat." You comment.  
"Alright I'll bite. Who wins the hot competition then?" Osamu asks. You pause and think for a long moment.  
"Gotta say Akaashi." You respond.  
"What? I'm right here! What am I?" Oikawa huffs.  
"You're beautiful. But Kiyoko wins that category." You inform.   
"I'm… Not even mad about that." Oikawa sighs.   
"Excuse me." Akaashi says coming into the lobby.  
"Oh hey Akaashi, we were just talking about you." Oikawa smirks.  
"Atsumu! Attack!" You gasp throwing the fox at Oikawa.   
"Gah!" Oikawa goes down.  
"That was violent ___." Akaashi tells you. You open your mouth to defend. "And I heard everything." He adds making you cover your face. "Anyways, I made some things for you all to use." He holds out a slim metal box to you as you uncover your face. "Please be safe."  
"Right. Thanks Akaashi. You're the best." You smile.  
"And apparently the hottest." He comments strolling away.  
"He even handles that like a boss." You comment watching after him.   
"Hey! What's the big idea throwing me at Oikawa!?" Atsumu snaps.  
"Oh right. Sorry. Are you okay?" You ask him.  
"I am. But Oikawa isn't moving." He answers, looking down at Oikawa.  
"You killed him." Osamu gaps.  
"We need to hide the body before Dorm Dad finds out." You gasp.   
"At least act concerned!" Oikawa snaps, sitting up and scaring Atsumu which makes Kita chuckle.   
"Oh good. He's alive." You smile.  
"You guys are having too much fun already." Sakusa sighs coming downstairs with everyone else.  
"Alright. Lets get going." Oikawa says getting up and taking the lead swiftly.   
"He makes a scary zombie." You hum, making the twins chuckle.

During the train ride to the district, you hand out the earpieces that Akaashi had given you and Kita pulls up the map of the school to go over things. The others were going to be spread out around the school for surveillance, you were going to be with Kita during school while the others move about to appear as harmless as possible.   
"I need a uniform don't I?" You remember, looking at Kita.  
"You can borrow mine." He assures.  
"Alright…" You nod.  
"Stop is coming." Sakusa informs so that everyone can get ready to head to Kita's house.  
The train stops and Kita takes the lead to his house and inside. "Kita. Did you have fun?" His grandmother greets.  
"Yes." Kita smiles.  
"Hello again Wolf. Thank you for coming to help." She tells you as you give a bow.  
"Its the least I can do for Kita." You respond with a smile as you straighten.  
"We should get ready. I'm already late." Kita tells you leading you to his room. He gives you a uniform before grabbing one for himself and going out to change in a different room. You quickly change, putting your earpiece in. You go back out, straightening the uniform out.  
"Kita is a bit bigger than me.." You murmur.  
"It doesn't look bad though." Atsumu says.  
"You look cute." Oikawa pats your head.  
"I feel like I'm in danger." You breathe.   
"Why are you so mean?" He pinches your cheeks.  
"You didn't get enough sweetness today." You respond trying to free your cheeks.  
"Hm? You want a kiss then?" He asks.   
"Huh?"   
"No." Sakusa and the twins answer for you.   
"Wow." Kuroo comments. "Is this normal?" He asks Bokuto.   
"Mmm… Kinda. But Oikawa is being kinda weird." Bokuto answers.  
"What!?" Oikawa looks back at him offended, releasing your face. "Normally when people say they didn't get enough sweetness it means kisses!" He defends.  
"In ___'s case its hugs." Atsumu points at you.   
"I'll hug you!" Bokuto knocks Oikawa out of the way to throw his arms around you.   
"Aww Bokuto." You hug him tightly. "I can finally hug you tight!"   
"I do like this too." He chuckles. "But I think I prefer the chibi cuddles."   
"Noted." You laugh.   
"Alright. I'm ready." Kita says going past. You nod and follow him out as he walks for his school. The others stay back, moving toward their positions.   
"Are you nervous?" You ask him.   
"Not anymore." He says, sending you a smile.   
"Right. But I am nervous now." You admit as you turn on your earpiece. "I kinda wish Sakusa could be going into the school with us."

Sakusa and the others pause. "Does ___ know we can hear that?" Atsumu asks.  
"Might've accidentally put it on output only." Osamu says.  
"Yeah there were some extra buttons here and there." Kuroo confirms.  
"So… ___ can't hear us?" Oikawa concludes.   
"Yep but we can hear ___." Sakusa sighs. 

"You have a lot of trust in him?" Kita asks.   
"Yeah. Sakusa is always there when I need him. His quirk is really powerful and he can do a lot with it. So having him nearby is a relief." You smile.   
"We do seem to have a lot of strong people with us now." He nods in thought.  
"Mhm they're all really strong. And the twins are crafty." You tell him.  
"That is reassuring." He comments, moving closer to you as you both near the school.   
"Mhm." You peer around, touching his arm as you come onto school campus.   
"Relax, you're my guest for today. If anyone asks you're touring the school with the intent to come here." He tells you lightly.  
"... But… Okay I can do that." You nod nervously. He blinks and huffs, offering you his hand. "Thanks." You say taking it and letting him take the lead.  
As the school day goes on you become increasingly concerned that you don't hear the other's chatter, but assume that it was because nothing had caught their eye.   
"___." Kita says, making you jump, cutting your finger on a piece of paper.  
"Yeah? Ow…" You murmur looking at it.  
"Oh sorry." He tips your chin and pecks your lips. "There." He hums pulling away. You blink at him in shock before looking at your finger as the cut and heals.  
"W-What… Healing kisses?!" You stammer in surprise.  
"More like healing breath." He corrects.  
"Y-You could've just blown on my cut then." You tell him pointedly. He pauses and covers his mouth.   
"Oh right. Sorry." He says looking down. "I wasn't really paying attention."  
"Th-that's okay you meant well by it." You assure, relaxing a bit before chuckling at him. "You okay Kita? You're looking a little pink.,  
"I'm a bit embarrassed by that." He murmurs.  
"Me too. But it's okay. Really. Just an accident." You tell him.   
"Right." He nods, dropping his hand. "It's lunch time. We're free to leave to get food nearby. Let's go check on your friends since you haven't heard from them."   
"Okay sounds good. Is there a ramen shop nearby?" You ask.  
"Yes. We can go by there first." He smiles a bit.  
As you leave the campus and near the ramen shop, the others suddenly swarm you both. Atsumu and Oikawa frowning at Kita. Kuroo just chuckles, taking your earpiece out.  
"Oh hey guys. What's wrong? You've been quiet." You tilt your head in confusion at the atmosphere around them.  
"That's because you had your earpiece on output so we could hear you but not the other way around." Kenma tells you. You freeze, turning red, they heard everything you said at school? You were mostly gushing over your dormmates whenever someone asked about your current school, and the thing about the kiss. You take off your glove.   
"No. You didn't hear anything." You say with a smile, fingers twitching.  
"___ snapped. Run…" Kenma says, slowly moving away.  
"It wasn't that bad." Kuroo chuckles. "But I swear I saw Sakusa turn red at least three times today."  
"Why do you talk about me so much?!" Sakusa questions you.  
"At least ___'s saying only good things about you. I kept getting called scary or odd." Oikawa complains.   
"... I have no idea what any of you are talking about. Lets go Kita." You hum walking away to escape your embarrassment.  
"___, come back." Bokuto follows after you. "I'm not mad. I'm happy that you think I'm amazing and cute." He pouts. You look back at him and open an arm, making him smile and move under it to hug you.  
"I'm also flattered that you like my eyes so much." Kenma joins you and Kita.  
"Well. I'm not happy that you were gushing over Osamu and his cooking." Atsumu calls.  
"I am very happy about that." Osamu claims.  
"And I'm happy to be the very dependable and strong senpai that is very great." Kuroo smirks.  
"... I hate all of you." You puff your cheeks in embarrassment.  
"Gross. Don't turn into Atsumu on us." Sakusa says, making the others laugh.   
"Screw you, cactus." Atsumu snaps.  
"I really enjoy your company." Kita smiles at you in amusement.  
"... Good. Cause I'll be here all week." You huff, half joking.  
"But we're only here for three days ___?" Bokuto says, looking at you confused.  
"... You are so damn cute."   
"Anyway. Back to the matter at hand." Kita starts, getting everyone's attention. "Did you see what I was talking about?"  
"Yeah. According to Kenma there are two out of the five that had similar builds to the sonic bastard and the one with an annoying forcefield quirk." Kuroo states.  
"So three unknown." You frown.  
"Maybe not. Those two and the big guy were the only ones I focused on that night." Kenma informs.  
"So the big one isn't here yet." You breathe looking down.  
"Maybe we should take them out first." Atsumu and you say together and pause.  
"That is a good tactic." Oikawa nods. "But we don't know for sure and attacking someone out of the blue will just look bad on our part."   
"He has a point." Osamu frowns.  
"Damn. This would be so much better if we weren't just waiting to be attacked." You sigh.  
"I don't suppose any of you have a defensive quirk?" Kita inquires.   
"... Does Sakusa's paralysis gas count?" You ask.  
"Not entirely but it's better than nothing." Kita nods.  
"He's right. The damage will be done before I can set off the canisters." Sakusa murmurs.  
"Do we have gas masks for that? It'll be a real pain if you're the only one still able to move afterwards." Atsumu frowns.  
"Of course." Sakusa nods, taking off his backpack and opening it to show the portable masks.   
"I'll take one. And Kita too." You hum passing him a mask.  
"Yeah Kita? Can't you still just kiss him to heal even if you're paralyzed?" Atsumu scoffs. You pause and strike him in the side, making him cough. "It was a joke!"  
"No it wasn't. He's still mad about it." Osamu pipes up.  
"Would've been an awful joke anyway." Sakusa remarks.  
"I hate… All of you." Atsumu growls, holding his side.  
"Wow. That was a nice hit ___! I'm proud of you." Bokuto praises.  
"Awe… Geez Bokuto." You wave your hand bashfully.  
"Now who's being cute?" He grins.  
"Its getting gross." Sakusa states loudly.  
"By the way ___, did you run into Tendo there?" Kuroo asks, earning a confused gaze from you. "We saw him go into the school. He was in there for about five minutes."   
"No. We didn't see him." You put a knuckle to your chin. "But he did say he was running errands today."  
"But Kuri and Inari don't associate with each other? Why would he be all the way over here running errands?" Kenma comments.  
"He says schools borrow resources from each other all of the time, but I don't see why he would need to come to Inari." You muse.  
"Well, Kuri and Inari both do agriculture while most of the other schools don't." Kita points out.  
"True. Kuri the jack of all trades… But they're mastering most." Atsumu sighs.  
"Talk about a super school." Kuroo shakes his head.  
"Why didn't you go there again?" You look to Oikawa, only to receive an intense glare. "I mean… You look really nice today. Your hair seems extra fluffy." You say, sweating slightly.  
"You noticed huh? I felt like being a bit fluffy today." He lights up smiling happily.  
'Well done ___, you survived that one.' The others think in unison.   
"Anyway… Food." You go into the ramen shop and sit with Kita and the others to eat. After everyone orders and eats you start back to school with Kita to finish the day. Nothing happens today. But you all know they're there, and they're watching.  
"Even if the three days pass without them doing anything. We'll stay here and catch them when they pounce." Oikawa says once everyone joins back up at Kita's.  
"... Thank you." Kita murmurs looking at him. "It's reassuring that you're all here." He says before going inside.   
"He's actually really nice…" Atsumu comments.  
"You just now noticed?" Osamu gives him a look.  
"Shut it. I'm just saying. He could've just stayed home and let everything play out. Instead he made the trip to see us and get all this going when everyone else is doubting him." Atsumu points out. "The guy gets things done. I don't think I would've been that stubborn about it."  
"Yeah you would've." You and Osamu say together.  
"You would've repeated it until someone believed you or until our ears fell off." You say a matter-of-factly.  
"And then you would've said 'I told you so' once we found you were right." Osamu finishes with a nod.  
"... Do you have to gang up on me like that…." Atsumu frowns.  
"Its a bit unnerving how you two always do that. I mean Osamu is Atsumu's twin…" Oikawa comments.  
"Thank you!" Atsumu gasps.   
"I'm kinda jealous that they can do that." Bokuto says, making you and Osamu look at each other and smile.  
"Gross. Lets just get inside." Sakusa grumbles going in.   
With that the day comes to a close, everyone breaks apart to focus on other things and you join Sakusa in the guest room watching him tinker with a device.  
"You're pretty handy. Were you always doing things like this before?" You ask.  
"No. When I was designing my hero costume I did an insane amount of research and started making prototypes to make sure it would work like I wanted it to." He responds.  
"Heh… Wouldn't have been satisfied unless you did it yourself. That much hasn't changed." You comment, making him pause his tinkering and look at you. "You keep looking at me like you want to say something… Are you still thinking about that day?"  
"... Yes. I'm not sure why though. It keeps popping up and there's no need for it." He admits, looking back at the machine before looking at you. "Do you still have those thoughts?"  
"I haven't had them for a long time, Kiyoomi." You give a small smile. "Is that what's been bothering you?"  
"Maybe?.. Sorry. I know it's something you prefer not to talk about. I just wanted to make sure." He says.  
"I don't mind. You can talk to me if it's something that's bothering you. Even if I am the subject in question." You joke lightly. "I'm happy you feel the need to worry about me."   
"I can't help it. You're always unprepared and don't take care of yourself first… But… I can't help but want to be around you even with that." He murmurs.  
".... Awww…. You really like me huh?" You grin.   
"Shut up. You ruined it." He grumbles looking down at the project. You tilt your head and reach over, fingertips brushing the side of his face, making him pause. "You're going to get paralyzed again…"  
"That's fine. And I'll keep doing it." You respond, thumb rubbing his cheek. "I don't get enough sweetness from you."  
"And you won't. Sounds gross.." He gives you a look. You chuckle and rub his cheek a bit. "What?"   
"Just enjoying this a bit." You breathe before pulling your hand away. "I'll let you finish your preparations." You say getting up.   
He looks up at you and you pause, leaning over and pecking his forehead. ".... Oi…" He glares half heartedly, pink coming over his face.   
"That was your fault for being cute." You huff.  
"I didn't do anything but look at you!" He points out.   
"It was a cute look." You hum.  
"Get out." He pushes your legs lightly. "Go be gross somewhere else."   
"Fine. I'll go cuddle Atsumu." You decide.  
"Don't do that. You'll get fleas."  
"Meanest cactus ever."   
"And for some reason you seem to like it." 

*

"Time to wake up." Kuroo says peering into the room. "That looks… Extremely warm." He comments. Sakusa peers in as well to find most of the others cuddling up to you.  
"Its becoming a norm…." Sakusa sighs.   
"Alright wake up." Kuroo says again going over and picking you up, making the others stir awake.  
"Give back my warmth…" Oikawa grumbles reaching for you.  
"Nope. I'm stealing ___." Kuroo decides, walking out with you.   
"Mm morning…" You yawn, rubbing your eyes.   
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" Kuroo smiles down at you.   
"Yeah. I was really warm… You're warm too…" You hum before looking over at Sakusa. "Kiyoomi." You wave at him.   
"Just going to call me that now huh?" He comments as Kuroo puts you down.   
"Dunno. Think I'll call you that when we're being serious. And to greet you in the morning." You stretch. "Okay. Day two." You breathe. "Samu! Lets make breakfast together." You peer back into the room.   
"Yes." He stretches and comes over with a smile. After breakfast you head out with Kita to the school.   
It was nearly lunch when you spot a familiar redhead. "Tendo!" You hug him from behind, making him jump.   
"___!? What are you doing here?" He gasps in surprise, turning about as you release him.  
"I'm on a mission for Kita." You give a thumbs up.   
"What kind of mission? Shouldn't you be at Raizu?" He was giving a smile you couldn't decipher.   
"Um… Are you okay Tendo?" You tilt your head.   
"Yeah. Can't stay long and you really surprised me." He says sheepishly rubbing his neck.   
"Sorry. I'll explain things-" There's an explosion, the shockwave making you stagger. "Get off campus, now." You tell him.  
"Right. Be careful!" Tendo runs off.  
'They're moving!' Kuroo says   
'I don't see the big one yet.' Kenma informs.  
"I'm going to help with evacuation- Kenma do you see anyone trapped?" You ask.  
'Top floor near the explosion. Hurry. I think the sonic guy is near you.' Kenma alerts.   
"Alright. Kita. I'm going." You look at him.  
"Be safe." He nods before going to take charge over the panicked students. You run up to the top floor towards the destroyed part of the building, swiftly clearing rubble and freeing some students as a sonic shout sounds nearby, blast glass past you.   
"This way! Quickly!" Kuroo calls up to the hole in the wall, making stairs. You swiftly help the students to the stairs, looking over you shoulder as villain in swamp barbarian gear steps into the hall. He opens has mouth and screams, the sound wave smacking you into the wall.   
'I'm releasing the gasses, put your masks on.' Sakusa's voice sounds over the now static earpiece as you fall to the floor. You shakily put on the mask as you look at the villain. He opens his mouth and you swiftly burst the floor beneath you and fall to the lower floor.   
"Sonic guy is on me. I need help." You manage, getting to your feet and rushing to the staircase to sneak up behind the villain   
'YoU'Re tHe LoT FroM RaiZu. AreN't yA?' A computer voice sounds on the earpiece.  
"___ I'm on my way. Destroy the earpieces, they've been compromised." Oikawa calls as you hurry up the stairs. You take out the piece, bursting it in your hand as you carefully peer into the hall. The villain was looking into the hole you had made. You swallow and decide to rush him. He straightens and calmly turns with a smile.   
'I fucked up.' You realize, trying to stop as he opens his mouth but a chain slaps him across the face from a broken window.  
"Just in time." Oikawa breathes, mallet leaving his arm. He swings it into the villain's stomach, sending him flying through a wall.  
"Thanks Metal King." You gasp.  
"I got your back, Little Destroyer." He smirks as you both follow after the villain. The sonic screamer coughs as he tries to get back up but Oikawa uses a trident to pin his neck to the floor.  
"That's one down." You murmur, and the villain snickers, his one visible eye looking past both of you. Oikawa suddenly pushes you, helping you dodge a blade, but not the leg that sweeps up and kicks you down the hall. You groan, getting up carefully and sending a glare toward the new villain. But you stop, heart dropping, eyes widening as you look at Oikawa. Your lips tremble in shock, "... Tooru..?" You call out hoarsely.   
He looked down at the blade tip that had pierced his chest, blood trickling from his lips. The blade is pulled out by the familiar and large villain, making Oikawa fall to the ground.  
"Such a waste." The villain murmurs, looking down at him, before looking at you and stepping toward you.   
'Get up! Get up!' You panic, starting to get up, but he's suddenly in front of you. You blink and are sent into a wall in an instant. Blood forcing its way out of your mouth. The villain lowers himself, blade glinting before he launches at you. A chain wraps around his arm as a figure leaps in front of you. Your eyes widen, the chain only stopping the sword a few inches from your face, the person it ran through turns his head to check on you.  
"A-Atsumu…" You whisper, tears coming to your eyes. He blinks and focuses on the villain arms igniting with a red flame before he shoves the villain off with a fiery blast that rips open the wall on the other side of the hall, making the blade leave his chest. "No. No no no…." You catch him as he falls back, shaking all over as you look down at his face. He tries to breathe but blood splatters from his nose and mouth. "Atsumu…. Please." You sniff, sobbing.  
"Tsumu!" Osamu staggers in, falling to his knees at his brother's head, shaky hands reaching for the gaping hole in Atsumu's chest. "No…." He tears up, looking lost. Atsumu touches his brother's hand and tips your chin, making you meet his gaze as he gives a soft smile, making your eyes blur with more tears.  
"You. Were a Damn good hero. Thank you so much for saving me." You choke out before leaning down and kissing him deeply. You pull away and he grins, looking so tired.   
"You can be smug about that. Just… Don't die 'Tsumu…" Osamu sniffs. Atsumu doesn't respond, body going limp.   
You rest your head on his bloody chest, starting to cry. "There is no need for tears. You all will be joining them shortly." The villain's voice echoes the hall and your body forces itself to stand. You turn your head with a tear stricken glare, not missing Oikawa's vacant eyes and outstretched arm that were on you.   
"I'm… I'm not going to let you take another one." Ribbons of red and crackling lifting over your right arm. "I hope you're ready for the infinite." You breathe, moving to stand between him and the twins. Your pinkie twitches the top floor of the building and others around it, suddenly burst. The particles getting swept in the wind. The villain stiffens and you launch at him, swiping out with your hand but he leaps into the air.   
It felt like time had slowed your mind was hazy, an angry murmur rising in your head. 'Destroy him. Destroy it all.' You raise your arm, the red misty ribbon around your arm widens briefly and the villain twists in the air, the armor on his right shoulder bursting before he lands. He lunges at you, swinging his right arm blade but you burst it in time, your arm scatters into red as his arm passes through it, landing a blow on your stomach, but you plant your feet, skidding back and raising your arm to burst him.   
He dodges, spinning about and back handing you in the head. You fly off the top floor, crashing into a field near the school. Your head is ringing so loudly it felt like it was going to pop, but adrenaline makes you get back up. He lands nearby, your fingers twitch, bursting the field and obscuring the field of vision. You raise your arm again to burst where he had been. The particles divide on your right as he lunges at you. Your hand swipes out and brush against his armor as he gets too close.   
He backs off immediately and you move after him, losing sight of him in the particles. Your senses make you look back and spin about as a knee meets your stomach, sending you through a school building, stopping in the courtyard. You barely manage to stand, the sonic villain lands beside you with a vicious grin, opening his mouth but you grab his head making him burst.   
"You really are a monster." The villain says coming through the hole you had just made.  
"And you woke me." You breathe as his left arm blade comes out.   
"Then allow me to put you in a permanent sleep." He growls, lunging at you. You bring up your hand, finally bursting him. But when the red clears, you look down as the blade that had went through you slowly dissolves. You stagger and fall back, Bokuto swiftly catching you.  
"___! Stay with me!" He gasps, holding you to him in a panic. "Kuroo! G-Get Kita!"   
"He's coming!" Kuroo shouts,voice sounding soft as he looks at you in a daze. Kita kneels beside you, giving you a kiss. He pulls back, looking over you.   
"I-I'm sorry ___… Its too much…" He manages.   
"Its… Okay… This is… Okay…" You murmur through the blood.   
"Osamu… Atsumu…" Kenma manages as Osamu brings his twin over, putting him beside you.   
"Oikawa's up there." Osamu tells Kuroo with a point.   
"I-I'll get him." Kuroo nods hurrying off.  
"___…" Osamu starts, making your eyes slide to him. "Please…." He manages, pleading as he tilts his head, tears coming to his eyes.  
"Can't leave him alone." You smile shakily, tears leaving your eyes.  
"_-___…" Sakusa's voice sounds on the other side of you and Bokuto gently turns your head so you can see your friend as he falls to his knees, reaching for you. He had removed his mask, the amount of pain on his face makes regret crash into your chest. No, you weren't ready, you didn't want to leave him.   
"I'm… Sorry." You whisper, making tears come to his eyes.  
"Stay." He pleads. "Don't go where I can't follow."   
A bubble forms around you, expanding and pushing everyone away. "No! Leave ___ alone!" Bokuto shouts, hitting the forcefield. A familiar slender villain with purple and black armor comes through the bubble and kneels down, raising you up and hugging you tightly.   
"I WiLl ChaNgE ThiS Fate." The robotic voice whispers as the last of your strength fades and everything goes black.


	15. Second Chance

The first time you spoke to each other. Was a sad day and it was before Tendo came to you. Yet you weren't friends. Just two six year old kids that somehow linked to each other.

"___, where are you going?" The woman asks as you reach for the main door. You look between her and the other children as they play happily.   
"I'm going home." You tell her. "I wanna see mommy and daddy."   
".... Sweetie… Your dad isn't here anymore…" She frowns kneeling beside you.   
"Where is he? Did the red cloud take him somewhere far?" You ask tilting your head. She bites her lip and meets your gaze unsurely.  
"No sweetie… That red cloud was your dad." She breathes.  
"... So he can come back. He's just somewhere else." You nod.  
"No… He's… He's dead."   
"... No. My dad is going to come back." You shake your head stubbornly.   
"He's not sweetie."   
"YES HE IS!" You shout- making the glove on your right hand burst. You pause, looking at it in shock, the woman backs away warily.  
"___, you need to calm down." She tries to say firmly but her voice shakes. You watch the cloud as it disappears, a dark realization coming to you.  
"I killed daddy…" You whisper looking at her. "Is that why mommy won't come get me?" You ask, stepping toward her. "I-I'm sorry! Tell my mommy that! I didn't mean to! Please! I want my mommy!" You reach your hands out to her but she smacks you away, making you fall.  
"Don't touch me!" She shrieks. "J-Just put your glove on and go play!" You blink up at her fearful and uneasy gaze, shaking slightly as you tear up.  
"O-Okay…" You manage getting up and rushing back into the playroom. Some of the kids stop, looking at you as you go to a corner and sit alone.  
"Um… Hey ___… You wanna play with us?" One asks.  
"No." You murmur, biting your lip. You just wanted to go home, to see your mom and dad. That wasn't happening though. You just wanted to leave now. You look at your right hand before looking at the wall and touching it, making a hole. You check around before crawling through, being greeted by the wind that flows by.   
You stand up and look about before starting off away from the building that has kept you for the past two days. You reach the street and let your feet take you wherever. Eventually coming upon a shrine. In front of it, a set of twins are playing ball. You blink at them, stopping to watch for a bit. One notices you and stops.  
"Do… You wanna play too?" He asks. You blink and shake your head looking down. He and his twin look at eachother.  
"Atsumu! Osamu! Time to wash up!" An elderly woman calls.   
"Coming!" They call back, one starting to leave.  
"Race you there Atsumu." The twin says. The one with the ball glances at his departing twin before rolling their ball to you and giving chase.  
"That's cheating!" He barks after his twin. You blink at the ball as it bounces against your foot. You bend and pick it up, bouncing it a few times before stopping yourself and shaking your head, placing it beside the path and carrying on through the nearby forest. You find a mostly dried up stream to follow. A bridge came into view, but it didn't seem like anyone used it. You trip, falling on the ground, your right hand touching a log and making it burst.   
You blink watching the cloud drift away and disappear before glaring at your hand, recalling the red cloud. "I… Hate you." You hiss between grit teeth as you sit up. "You took away daddy and now mommy doesn't want me. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you!" Which means… I hate me too.

"Not now Kiyoomi. Go play." His mother murmurs sifting through papers. He blinks before nodding quietly.  
"Okay…" He murmurs heading out. They were all so busy, even when they were home. He was getting used to it, what else could he do? He wanders a bit, deciding to walk across the nearby bridge to a forest path.   
He reaches the bridge, starting across it when he notices a child that looks familiar. He pauses, watching for a moment as the right hand of the child raises toward their face slowly, purposely. His eyes widen in horror, realizing why they were familiar.  
"Wait… Stop!" He shouts, making you jump and look up at him. "Don't… Don't do it!" He manages getting off the bridge to join you in the ravine. You blink at him before looking at your hand again.  
"Why?" You look at him teary eyed. "Daddy's dead. Mommy doesn't want me and I'm all alone." You sniff. "It's all my fault." The nails of your left hand were starting to draw blood around your right wrist. You wanted free of it. If only you could cut it off. The boy shifts, looking at the blood uneasily, not sure what to do- if he could do anything. "I hate it." You suddenly crouch down, starting to say it over and over again in a frenzy. "I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate me. I hate me. I hate me.."   
He could've left, you were scary right now, but the quiet sobs were getting painful to hear and he wanted to help. He hesitantly moves closer, he had seen plenty of people do it when one was crying. He leans over and hugs you, and almost instantly, you stop.   
Tears form in your eyes at the warmth you had been missing since dad went. You rest your head on his shoulder, calming down completely.  
"... Do you… Want to meet my mom?" He asks lightly. You pause and nod quietly. He releases you, taking your left hand and helping you out of the ravine. He guides you down the road and into a large house. You peer about as he leads you to the kitchen as the mother pauses her work to sip some tea. She pauses, looking at you and her son, lowering the tea in surprise.  
"Hello… What are you doing here?" She asks carefully.  
"I… Don't know." You look at the boy a bit lost.  
"You miss your mom." He reminds you. The mom glances between you two.  
"She doesn't want me anymore." You sniff, looking up at her. Her face softens and she kneels down in front of you, placing her hands on your shoulders.   
"There will always be someone that wants you. It may not be right now, but know they're waiting for you. So stay strong… Okay?" She says softly.  
"That's okay if they don't." You shake your head. "I wouldn't want me either." You whisper. She bites her lip, for a moment tears come to her eyes, but before she can say anything, there's a firm knock on the door and she goes to answer it.  
"Are you okay?" He murmurs, making you look at him.  
"I want to disappear… Why won't you let me?" You give him a tired look. He doesn't know how to answer so he just squeezes your hand.  
"___. There's some policemen here to take you back to the orphanage." His mom calls.   
"No one's ever going to want me…" You mutter, letting go of his hand and going to the door, letting the dog-like policemen start to lead you away.  
"Wait!" He calls at your back, making you stop and turn to him as he runs up. He hesitates before hugging you. "I will." He murmurs, making you blink.   
"... Don't." You frown. "Go be happy." You lightly push him away and offer a small smile. "Thank you. Your mom is nice." You had before following after the police.  
A year would pass before you find out that his mother passes due to inhaling an extremely potent toxin. And he too would start to isolate himself from everyone.

'Stay…. Don't go where I can't follow.'  
'____…. Please….'  
'I-I'm sorry ___… It's too much….'  
'___! Stay with me!'

"Someday someone will want you."

Your eyes ease open to a familiar room, to a familiar feeling of being surrounded. Oikawa nuzzles your shoulder and the fox twins are curled up against your stomach, Bokuto sleepily cuddles your neck with a happy hum, and the strong sense of deja vu hits you.   
"Time to wake up." Kuroo peers in. "That looks… Extremely warm." He comments before he pauses, blinking in confusion. "Wait…"  
You sit up, looking at him before at Oikawa and Atsumu, some visions popping up into your mind. "Atsumu? Tooru?" You ask, nudging them. Atsumu yawns and looks at you, changing back and rubbing his eye with a yawn.  
"What's wrong?" He asks lightly. You carefully touch his cheek before hugging him tightly. "Hm? Did you have a bad dream too?" He murmurs, hugging you back. Osamu wakes with a jolt, changing back and blinking at you two with wide eyes, tearing up slightly before throwing his arms around you both.   
"What's… Going on?" Oikawa asks groggy, feeling his own chest and looking down. "... I think I died in my dream." He frowns, making you and Osamu pause, looking at him. "It was so weird, and real…"  
"Me too, that big villain guy almost got ___ but I got in the way and you stopped him with a chain and then I let out this awesome red fire attack." Atsumu says.  
"That's exactly what happened in mine…" You and Oikawa say together.  
"In mine ___ burst the big villain and got stabbed in the chest, but then the guy with a forcefield quirk pushes everyone away and the villain in purple and black hugs ___… You were both dead too I think." Bokuto recalls.  
"... I don't think that was a dream if we all remember it the same way." You breathe.  
"So… I died?" Oikawa says lightly and you tear up, nodding and hugging him tightly. "... Oh… What the hell is going on…"

"Yeah everyone's story matches up… But is that what's to come?" Oikawa folds his arms.   
"I don't think so… Before I died that purple and black villain said he was going to 'change this fate'." You point out.  
"Why was that bastard hugging you anyway?" Bokuto huffs.  
"I don't know." You shrug. "This is all weird…"  
"So let's say he has a quirk to reverse time. How will fate change?" Atsumu tilts his head.   
"Don't know. But if we are aware of what's going on, then so is the enemy." You frown. A tremor shakes the house along with the sound of a distant explosion. You pause, everyone looks at each other before rushing out. Seeing a plume of smoke in the distance.  
"The school." Kita breathes.  
"The bomb must've preemptively went off." Kuroo says.  
"The fate has been changed." You murmur. "With this the security around the school will increase and everyone will be on the lookout."  
"Just like that…" Oikawa marvels. "We're saved."  
"So… We can go back now?" Atsumu asks.  
"Yeah. We can. It's over." You nod.   
Everyone prepares to leave at that. And just like you they were all dazed, thinking about the day that was no longer going to happen. You should've felt relieved, but you felt uneasy as you reviewed your actions from then.   
"___." Kita's murmur makes you look over at him. You were going to be the last to walk out the door. "Thank you." He says, lips trembling slightly. "And sorry you almost went through all of that… For me."   
"I was ready to fight again despite all that." You respond. "Of course I would've made some things change, but I was ready." He blinks and nods, trying to smile but failing. "But that time it wasn't going to be for you. It was going to be for everyone."  
"I see…" He relaxes a bit, meeting your gaze and coming over to hug you, kissing your forehead. "I'm glad you're still here." He whispers.   
"... Me too." You smile hugging him before pulling away and joining everyone outside. Kita and his grandmother wave you off. A silence hung over everyone as you head for the station and get on the train. Not a word was said the whole ride. Then as everyone gets off the train, Atsumu speaks up.  
"It bothers me. All of it." He says, making everyone look back. "It bothers me that I couldn't help that much. It bothers me that I died. It bothers me that ___ died too. But… What bothers me the most, is that I should feel happy or relieved, but I don't. It was a villain that changed everything. It was a villain that saved us from that. And I have no idea why." He says. "What if he changes his mind and we have to go through it again?"  
"He won't. At least not now." You tell him. "Don't forget, all quirk powers come with a price."  
"Right…" He relaxes with a nod and you go over, taking his hand and offering a smile.  
"I'm really glad though. That I can still do this." You hum thoughtfully. He blinks at you and sniffs, tearing up before hugging you.  
"Damn ninjas cutting onions…" He sniffles.  
"You're so lame bro." Osamu chuckles, tearing up and hugging both of you. The others soon join in the hug too, even Sakusa, but only because Bokuto dragged him into it. The group hug lasted until the unease melted away.   
Everyone separates, some wiping their eyes before continuing back to the dorms. As you near the doors, Nishinoya bursts out.   
"___!" He chimes leaping at you. You catch him, turning about to keep from falling.  
"Noya!" You chuckle hugging him.   
"You guys are back already?" Ryuu says coming out as well.  
"Yeah. A bomb went off in the school this morning. I'm surprised you guys don't know already." You tell him. He pauses along with Nishinoya, exchanging a glance before looking at you as Nishinoya pulls away.  
"We just got a call from Semi. Tendo's in the hospital." Nishinoya tells you quietly, making you feel like everything had just dropped.   
"Which one…?" You breathe.  
"Kurikoo, it's real close to the-" You were already running before he could finish.   
'No. Why now? He was supposed to go on errands today! I just saw him!' You think in a panic, running as fast as you can.   
Reaching the hospital you hurry in, asking for the room number before hurrying upstairs to find it. You spot Semi in the doorway and go over to him. "What happened? Is he okay?" You gasp.   
"He's stable now." Semi catches your arms as you start to shake. "I-I'm sorry, we were all out jogging this morning, but he suddenly stopped and his eyes were glowing… I couldn't get to him before the car did." He grits his teeth and looks down. "I'm sorry… but, the doctor said the injuries aren't life threatening. He's going to be alright." You blink at him and relax, hugging him tightly.  
"Thank god…" You whisper. He relaxes hugging you back.  
"You… Want to see him?" He asks. You nod and pull away so he can show you into the room where your best friend lay with tubes here and there. You move to the bedside, feeling tears rise up as you stroke his cheek.  
"I'm here, Satori." You breathe softly. His eyelids twitch before he opens his eyes.   
"Heeeey… There's my bestie…" He murmurs smiling tiredly. "I was just thinking about you… Had a weird vision…"  
"Yeah. Me too…" You take his hand as he lifts it to you. "How do you feel?"  
"Mm… I feel alright. I don't know what they gave me but my pain is gone… But let me tell you. I do not recommend getting hit by a car…. That suuucked." He says shaking his head slightly.  
"I believe that… I'm glad you're okay." You smile leaning over and kissing his forehead.  
"Heh. I got a kiss…" He breathes smiling. "I'm tired though."  
"I'll let you sleep then." You murmur.  
"Kiss me goodnight?" He tilts his head a bit.   
"You're such an opportunist…" You sigh with a chuckle before kissing him softly.   
"Yay… Now I'll have sweet dreams."  
"You're such a goofball.."  
"Nighty night." He says falling asleep. You smile and kiss his knuckle before going back to Semi.   
"I feel better now. He's going to be alright." You comment looking back.  
"Yeah. I'll keep you updated. Can I get your number?" He asks. You nod exchanging numbers with him. "Are you hungry? I was going to meet up with the others to get some breakfast." He tells you.  
"That sounds great. We forgot to eat this morning." You nod. He smiles a bit, leading you down and out of the hospital, heading to a small restaurant and meeting up with Ushijima, Rein, and Shirabu.  
"Hello ___. You saw Tendo? How is he doing?" Ushijima greets.  
"He's good." You assure.   
"I'm glad." He nods. "It's different when he's not here."  
"I know how that is." You smile a bit, sitting with them at a table.   
"The doctors there are best in the area. I'm sure Tendo will be out after tomorrow." Shirabu comments.  
"I'll have to come steal him when he's well again.." You nod, phone buzzing and making you pause. "Oh excuse me, my dormmates are worried about him too." You breathe, replying to the messages.   
"Tendo sure makes his rounds." Semi jokes lightly.  
"Yeah. He's easy to get along with." Reon agrees. You smile a bit at that and order your food, eating breakfast with them. You decide to head back to the hospital, pausing as you spot Sakusa waiting at the entrance.   
"Hey." You greet each other. You shift before cocking your head to the entrance, leading him inside and to Tendo's room. "He fell asleep before I left."   
"He seems better than I was expecting… That's good." He murmurs.  
"Yeah…" You watch Tendo for a bit. "I dreamt of that day. Before the flashbacks came." You murmur.   
"That was my fault for bringing it up." He says.  
"It's okay. Your mom was right. I didn't realize until it was too late though… And now I have time to appreciate it." You breathe. He shifts, glancing at you, reaching over and taking your hand.  
"I'm happy for that." He says. You smile a bit falling into a calm silence with him. Tendo doesn't wake up again while you're there. According to the doctors he'll sleep until he's healed. Sakusa leaves first, giving you some more time with Tendo before heading back to the dorms with Sakusa.   
"It's late already." You comment looking at the sky.  
"I felt like this day lasted forever." Sakusa sighs.  
"Well, we went through it twice… I'm just glad it ended with everyone still here this time." You smile.   
"Yeah…" He moves closer to you, looking to the side. You reach the dorms and go inside, being greeted by Iwaizumi.  
"Good, I was about to come get you two. Everything alright? Sugawara is making dinner." He says.  
"Yeah, thanks." You nod.   
"Get some sleep after. All of you look drained." He pats your head and heads upstairs.   
After dinner you head upstairs to find the twins curled up together on the bed fast asleep. You watch them for a bit before going back out, deciding to go up on the roof to look at the stars.   
Soon a giant owl lands beside you, changing into Bokuto and sitting beside you. "Can't sleep either?" He guesses.  
"No… I didn't even see you flying about. How long have you been out here?" You ask.  
"Since the sun went down. I like to fly around after a bad day." He says looking at the sky. "I tried not to think about it too much, but watching you die… Was rough." His voice cracks, looking at his shaky hands. You frown and take his hand, leaning on him.  
"Sorry about that… I should've been more careful…. But, I just… Wanted to stop him." You breathe.  
"I know… I get it." He peers at you before kissing your temple. "Thank you for still being here."  
"You know I'm not the one that should take credit for that."  
"Yeah…" He hugs you and pauses. "Oh! Can I cuddle you? In my room?" He asks lighting up.  
"You know the twins will find me."  
"That's fine. As long as I can cuddle you all night." He chimes picking you up and carrying you downstairs and to his room. "The furniture came in yesterday, Akaashi set up my room."  
"He's so awesome."   
"Right?"  
"Mhm top tier hero right there." You nod.   
"What about me?" He hums, going into his room, closing the door behind him.   
"Oh you? Legendary. I saw you swooping down and carrying five students at a time to get them off campus. So pro." You poke his nose. He smiles, setting you down and laying with you.  
"I am pretty pro huh?" He chuckles. "What about you? Bursting a whole floor. That was intimidating."  
"I didn't even know I could do that." You shake your head, eyelids feeling heavy as he cuddles up to you.  
"You can do so much. Just gotta try." He nuzzles your head, starting to drift off. You smile, looking at your gloved hand and soon falling asleep.


	16. Letter From Mom

"I'm free!!" Tendo cheers as you both leave the hospital. "Thanks for staying by my side so much." He teases lightly.   
"I couldn't really relax knowing you were there." You respond sheepishly.  
"Yeah I get that. Lets get some food." He smiles.  
"I'm already ahead of you. Come on, we're meeting everyone at the park." You hum messaging Osamu.   
"Huh?" He blinks in surprise before grinning and hugging you. "You're throwing me a party?? I love you! You're the best!" He chimes.  
"Yeah. I'm about to start focusing on training so I don't know how often we'll be able to hang out." You smile.  
"Oh? That whole dying thing bothering you?" He tilts his head.   
"Actually… it's the fact that I killed two people without a second thought that's bothering me. I need to get stronger so I got more choices before that last irreversible one." You say.  
"Mm… I know… You seem more like a hero everyday. And its… Kinda alluring." He comments with a smile, making you blush.   
"What? I'm just being serious…" You put a hand over your face getting flustered.   
"That's a great reaction." Tendo chuckles. "I missed you acting all cute."   
"Shush. Don't tease me." You pout. He hugs you tighter at that, cuddling your cheek as you near the park.   
"Tendo!" Everyone greets your best friend. He blinks in surprise before smiling, closing his eyes. He was touched by this greeting.   
"Welcome back. You look like you're all good." Atsumu says.  
"Yep! The doctors and ___ took great care of me." Tendo grins, cuddling your cheek.  
"___'s sure good at that. Right Sakusa?" Atsumu smirks.  
"That's right." Sakusa states. "It must have really bothered you that ___ wasn't paying you any mind again." He adds smugly as he moves away. Atsumu glares after him.  
"Why the heck would it?" The blond snaps.  
"Pfft! I missed these guys." Tendo snorts with a chuckle.   
"They really are funny." You agree, smiling after Sakusa. "Come on, Osamu volunteered to make your favorite."  
"I feel like we should start paying him." He comments.  
"Right? Its better than the cooking we can get at the restaurants near us." You nod leading him over to where Osamu was putting out food.  
"Tendo, grab you a plate if you're hungry. ___ said you didn't care for the hospital food." He greets.  
"I will, thanks." Tendo says grabbing you a plate as well. "___ didn't like the food there either."  
"Osamu usually saved leftovers for me." You assure.  
"Seriously? Should just marry the guy now while you can." Tendo hums already digging in, making you and Osamu pause, both blushing lightly.  
"Dammit Tendo…" You sigh as he starts to laugh at your expression.  
"Sorry. Couldn't help myself." He chuckles as you sit beside him. "Ah… My bun…" He pouts as you take it from his plate.  
"That's what you get." You hum.  
"Fine… I'll just get Sakusa over here and we can chat about the good old- yay! My bun returned!" He smiles.  
"Probably not even gonna eat it." You grumble. He just chuckles leaning his head on your shoulder. You smile a bit, looking up at the sky.   
The welcome back party lasted for a good part of the day. Then your dormmates and you walk with the Kuri back to their Academy before returning to Raizu.

The next month or so is quiet, thankfully. You and the ones that had gone to Inari spend most of your free time training and going through courses solo. You weren't sure if you were evolving at all. The others were talking about new power moves and combinations, even Atsumu has started to use his fire quirk more. Osamu had picked up on it and discovered he also had a fire quirk, but his flames were blue. Bokuto has gotten really good at changing size and even started to incorporate it into battle. Sakusa's new toxic mixtures are making it harder to fight against him, he's always the first out of the courses. Oikawa's growth seemed stunted too, but you knew he wouldn't stay the same.  
You pant, fingertips digging into the earth, particles dancing up from your right hand. "Why can't I do it? I did it then…" You grumble, glaring at the can you've been trying to burst without touching.   
"You're trying too hard. What are you even stressing about?" Sakusa's voice makes you jump and look over. "Lift up your hand, you're making a hole in the lawn."  
"Oops." You lift your hand and fall back on your butt, frowning to yourself. "... I'm getting left behind." You sigh.  
"Your combat has gotten better though.. Or is this about your quirk?" He comes over and crouches nearby, peering at your hand.   
"The quirk. You saw what I could do then… Now I can't even burst a can that's not even a foot away." You kick the can and fold your arms. "I keep getting headaches now so maybe I am trying too hard."  
"Did you try returning to that state of mind? It worked for Atsumu." He says.   
"I didn't have a mind in that state, Sakusa. I was moving on pure rage and instinct." You point out.   
"Yeah. That would be a problem if you did that." He agrees standing up, and leaning over to peer at your face. "Come on. I won't let you miss dinner again." He breathes. You meet his gaze before puffing your cheek and looking away stubbornly. He sighs and slips on a glove before taking your chin between his fingers and makes you look up at him. "Don't make me use force."  
"To think you'd go so far as to threaten me." You huff before smirking. "Could just say you want to have dinner with me."   
"... I will not say that." His eyes narrow briefly. "But please, don't make me worry about you."   
"Well, when you put it as sweet as that… I guess dinner sounds good." You hum getting up.   
"Good. Osamu wont make that face now too." He comments heading inside.  
"What face?"   
"Not sure. Might've been a pout. Its weird so…"   
"Say no more." You pat his back as you go in. "Samu!" You call making your way to the kitchen.  
"That's a call I haven't heard in a bit." He comments looking over his shoulder at you and smiling. You go hug him from behind, peering at the food.   
"Mmm looks good." You breathe.   
"Glad you think so. Did you burst the can?" He asks.  
"No… Sakusa told me to come eat." You grumble. "He said you were pouting last time."  
"I don't get to see you much lately. We all share a room but we're all going to bed at different times… I miss you." He breathes lightly. "And Atsumu's worse about all of this."  
"I'll be sure to go talk to him too… You're such a good brother." You kiss his cheek.  
"I only said it because he's getting annoying." He scoffs, before looking at you, turning and giving you a hug. "Next time I'll come get you myself." He whispers before handing you a plate and smiling. "Enjoy."  
"Thank you." You murmur before heading to the dining room. As you sit beside Sakusa, a familiar call sounds.  
"___! I'm home!"   
"In here Tendo." You call back, smiling a bit. He comes in cheerfully with a bag on his arm.  
"I brought you a gift!" He says hugging you happily. "Oooh you're feeling firm." He squeezes your arms lightly."  
"Hm? Think so? I was training a little bit ago." You murmur.   
"Mhm… Its really nice." He peeks at your face, giving you a certain look that has been appearing a lot more often when he comes to visit. You look down feeling your cheeks heat up.  
"Tendo…" You murmur. He chuckles and peers at Sakusa.  
"Oh, even Sakusa is looking tougher too." He pokes at Sakusa's arm.  
"Stop it." Sakusa sighs.  
"You're getting tougher. Like a well cooked steak." Tendo hums.  
"Don't compare me to food." Sakusa says.   
"I've gotten bigger too. Tendo look." Bokuto says.  
"You've got everyone beat there, that's for sure." Kuroo sighs as Bokuto flexes his arms with a grin.  
"You're definitely more noticeable." Tendo chuckles.  
"You look great Bokuto." You nod.   
"Bokuto-San. Kuroo is stealing your food." Akaashi states.   
"Huh? Aw Akaashi! Why didn't ya stop him!?"   
"Mmm. This is good bro."   
"Osamu!" Bokuto calls.  
"Nope."   
"Aww.."   
"Here Bokuto. Osamu made too much for me." You slide your plate over to him, making him gasp and look at you touched.   
"I love you." Bokuto breathes, making you chuckle and Tendo laugh.   
"Aww he's so honest." Tendo comments. "Come on ___," He tugs your sleeve. You get up and head up to your room with him, going in and pausing, finding Atsumu asleep already. Tendo pauses too, before silently putting the bag on the ground and pulling out a fox hoodie. You gap at it in awe.  
'Thats so cute!' You mouth.  
'I know right!?'   
' Is that mine?'  
'Yes!'  
'I love you.'  
'I love you too. Put it on.' He passes it to you. You pull it on and he puts the hood up on you before gushing silently and pulling out his phone to take pictures of you. You do some poses, being a bit silly. He suddenly pauses and snorts after taking one, peering past you. You look over to find Atsumu watching with a raised eyebrow.   
"... Hey… Did you sleep well?" You ask awkwardly.  
"Oh. I'm awake now? Felt like I was having another weird dream." He comments. You look away at that and he chuckles. "Cute by the way."  
"Right? I'll send you the pictures later." Tendo snickers.  
"Thank you. I was going to ask." Atsumu stretches. He gets up and glances at you. "See ya. I'm going to eat." He says before going out.  
"Still awkward huh?" Tendo hums.  
"... Actually he stopped asking about the kiss two weeks ago. Osamu thinks it's just because none of us are really hanging out since everything happened." You frown rubbing your cheek. "I miss him too. But… I don't want to lose him again… Any of them for that matter. I need to get stronger before we face another villain that's too strong for us."   
"And I'm not even improving like everyone else. I'm trying so hard, Tendo. What if I can't save anyone again? No one will come save me from that a second time." You tell him, shoulders drooping. "What if-" Tendo puts a finger to your lips.  
"___. I know you. And you're not trying hard enough." He says, making you pause. "Because you're too aware of everyone else around you. You can't go all out because you're afraid."   
"... That's it." You gasp and he smiles. "I gotta ask sensei! Tendo you're the best!"   
"I know… See ya! Just wanted to give you that. I'll be back tomorrow though!" He chimes before heading out and closing the door. "It's not polite to eavesdrop Atsumu, but you understand now right?" Tendo hums as he passes the guy leaning next to the door.   
"You're pretty keen of your surroundings, Tendo." Atsumu breathes, peering after him. "But I do understand a bit more now."   
"Good. Keep watching over ___." Tendo waves his hand before going down the stairs. 

"Progress." You breathe, grinning to yourself. They had given you a secluded course today. You were able to use more of your power. "I owe Tendo." You wipe your brow before heading out. You pause glancing over at the sun steadily setting. "It's that late already?" You frown hurrying to the locker room to change out of your suit and going to the dorms.  
You and Atsumu reach the door at the same time, pausing. "Training late too huh?" Atsumu offers a smile.  
"Yeah… You smell like smoke." You comment.  
"Is it bad?" He opens the door for you.   
"No, very manly actually, and kinda soothing." You smile.  
"Really?" He chuckles, scratching his cheek as he follows you in.   
"Hm? Hitoshi, Elinor? Something wrong? You look pale." You tell the couple.  
"I swung by your old place to pick up mail and bring it here for them. But they saw one and got like that." Tendo says coming over and hugging you. He sniffs at Atsumu. "You smell nice man."   
"Uh, thanks…." Atsumu rubs his neck sheepishly.  
"Um… ___… This is…" Elinor shakily offers you an envelope.  
"What?" You take it to see the sender and nearly drop it. "... Tendo…" You manage as he catches it. He touches your shoulder and looks it over.  
"___… This is… From your mom…" He says, trying to hand it to you but you move your hands away feeling uneasy. He blinks and brings you closer to his side, carefully opening it. He pretends it before straightening. "She says sorry, she saw you on television and would like to meet in person… but lives in another country now, so sent you an airplane ticket and passport." He peers in the envelope and takes them out.  
"That's… Sketchy…." Atsumu says.  
"What will you do?" Sakusa asks you. You shift, blinking at the ticket and passport.   
"I uh…" You swallow.  
"Wait. Guys, no. This is weird." Atsumu insists.   
"We don't know that for sure Tsumu…" Osamu says.   
"But… ___, come on, another country?" Atsumu murmurs.   
"I-I might not be happy about it… But it is your choice and we'll support it." Elinor tells you.  
"Begrudgingly." Hitoshi breathes.  
"... Thanks." You smile at them before looking at the ticket. "How long?" You ask Tendo.  
"Says a week. Two way ticket." He says.  
"A week with my mom…" You whisper.  
"Bit long for closure. But I think it will help." Tendo leans on you.   
"Okay. I'll go." You take the passport and ticket.  
"Should start packing... That plane ticket is for tomorrow morning." Tendo points on the date on it.  
"Oh. Right… Um…" You bounce slightly before hurrying upstairs.  
"Wait! Ugh. Why are you guys so supportive!? This is a bad idea!" Atsumu tells them.   
"Relax Atsumu, it feels overdue, actually." Hitoshi says. Atsumu looks around at all of them, frowning heavily.  
"Tch… Yeah alright…" Atsumu grumbles going upstairs. He goes in the room as you scramble to pack. He frowns and sighs, going over to help. "Don't overpack. You'll probably find souvenirs to bring back for everyone." He says.   
"Right you're right." You nod.  
"And you can't stay up all night being excited." He says. "Drink some tea or something before bed."  
"You turning into Sakusa now?" You tease.  
"... I'm being supportive but if you want to fight we can do that too." He pushes you over.   
"How are you going to say that while you push me?" You huff getting up and moving to push him back. He takes his fox form and evades easily, chirping in amusement when you fall to the floor again. "Oh that's it. Ima get you 'Tsumu!" You chuckle leaping after him. So it devolves into a game of tag.   
Osamu comes in, blinking at you both, before smiling a bit and shaking his head and going over to finish packing for you.   
"Gotcha!" Atsumu breathes, catching your waist and pulling you onto the bed. "I win." He chuckles as you try to get away.  
"Never! Samu! Help me!" You thrust a finger into the air.   
"Denied." Osamu chuckles.  
"Oh ho! 'Denied' he says." Atsumu snickers hugging you. "All mine then."  
"I did not say that." Osamu frowns. "Anyway you two need to chill, its time for bed. ___, your bag is packed."   
"Alright." Atsumu releases you.  
"Thanks Samu." You chuckle. 

Like you could sleep. A few hours maybe? Then you were here, in the hallway looking out one of the large windows at the city, rubbing your hands together.   
"You're really freaked out huh?" A voice makes you jump and look over as Kuroo sits beside you. "Listen. You don't have to stay a whole week. If you don't like it, just message one of us and we'll get you home in a flash." He winks. "So don't worry."  
"Its not that… What do I say when I see her again? Will I be happy? Sad? I really hope I don't get angry." You worry.   
"Dunno until you get there I'm afraid. But if you think it's going to be anger, call Tendo." He gives a thumbs up.   
"Heh.. That'll definitely work…" You smile thoughtfully.   
"Just because you're going to be in a far off place, doesn't mean we can't be there when you need us. You just gotta call us. And if you don't. We'll probably figure it out and try to find a way to ya." He places a hand on your head, bringing it to his shoulder.   
"Thanks Kuroo." You smile a bit. "You always know what to do."  
"Not always. We haven't talked much since Inari. Because I didn't know what to say. And at Inari, after you went down, everyone's panic and unease got to me. I just stood there, lost. Kenma had to hit me. And it wasn't as hard as I needed it to be." He admits, gazing out the window. "You can think of the same scenario so many times and still freeze when its matters most. All you can do to get out of it is think. 'I need to do THIS' Then everything will move again. It's all you can do."   
You think it over a bit before hugging him. "Next time. We won't lose." You breathe.  
"Nope. As much as everyone's been working… So go do what you gotta do. We will be here when you come back." He rubs your back.   
"Thanks Kuroo." You murmur. Something fluffy wedges between you and you both look down at Tsumu.  
"You know Atsumu, your fur pretty much glows kinda fiery now that your second quirk has shown itself." Kuroo comments, picking up the fox. "Osamu's fur looks kinda blue now too."   
"Fire fox fur." You nod in amazement.  
"Sounds cool. Is it warmer?" He passes the fox to you to cuddle.   
"Mm feels warmer." You breathe. "So soft."  
"Alright you two. Get back to bed." Kuroo says getting up.  
"Mm he's so warm… Falling asleep." You hum.   
"Uh oh." Kuroo chuckles, picking you up and taking you into your room, putting you beside Osamu before covering you up. "... Sleep well." He moves some hair from your face before going out. You smile, cuddling up to Atsumu and steadily drifting off.

"Alright. I'm ready." You breathe pulling the duffle bag strap over your shoulder. 'Kinda heavy. Osamu packed a lot…' You think.   
"Don't forget to eat if you have time once you're at the airport." Osamu requests.  
"You packed me snacks, remember? I'll be fine." You smile.  
"Don't forget to put on your gloves and mask." Sakusa tells you.  
"Right. No getting sick while I'm away." You nod.  
"Don't forget to call me." Tendo chimes in, joining the group.   
"Of course." You smile hugging him.   
"We should leave now." Elinor tells you.  
"Right.." You give a few hugs before starting out, pausing and looking about. "Atsumu?" You look to Osamu.  
"I looked for him… I'll kick his ass when he turns up." Osamu frowns apologetically.  
"That's okay… I'll miss you guys. Please stay safe." You nod.  
"You too."  
Your foster parents take you to the airport, and give you firm hugs before you head to your gate. You send out messages as you wait, munching on one of the snacks you had. Atsumu wasn't responding, making you frown.  
"You look nervous." A hum sounds and you look to find a blond with piercings smiling at you. "If you want a hand to hold during takeoff, I'm your guy." He winks.  
"Oh um… Thanks…" You say awkwardly.   
"I'm Terushima, by the way. Lets get to know each other." He smiles.  
"Um excuse me?" You look over to see a pretty brown haired girl as she tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. A guy with an intimidating aura stands behind her watching with narrow eyes. "Are you okay? She asks you, glancing at Terushima.  
"Hm? Oh." You smile a bit at her concern. "I'm fine. Thank you."  
"Oh, okay. Sorry. It's my first flight and I'm a bit nervous." She smiles.  
"Mine too. I'm ___." You move closer to here, making the guy behind her scowl a bit.  
"I'm Mika, this is Daishou." She tosses him a glance and he instantly softens.  
"Nice to meet you both." You breathe relaxing a bit. Daishou blinks and pauses, leaning forward as you examines your face.  
"Ah. I knew you were familiar. You're one of Kuroo's mates." He recognizes. "You were on the video when Raizu was attacked."  
"Oh that's right!" Mila gasps. "Are you a hero trainee?"  
"Yes. Next month I go to get the license." You nod.  
"Oh right, that first year test is coming up. It's quite a hard one too." Daishou nods.  
"It is? You never told me about it." She frowns at him.  
"Ah well that's…" He stumbles as you might up.  
"Senpai." You breathe, making him stiffen.  
"No. I am not. As far as I'm concerned you're an opponent." He says.   
"Don't be like that Daishou. Heroes are supposed to help each other." Mika tells him.  
"... Right." He smiles.   
"FLIGHT 433 IS NOW BOARDING."  
"That's us." You and Mika say. She pauses and smiles at you.  
"Sit with us." She says.   
"Sure." You smile and Daishou sends you a frown. With that you all board together, you put your duffle bag above your seat, pausing at how warm it felt. Were you that nervous? Shrugging it off you sit next to the window, Mika sitting between you and Daishou.   
The plane takes off with no trouble, you and Mika chat for the first hour before she drifts off, head falling against Daishou's shoulder.  
"You two are really cute." You murmur as he glances at her.   
"Heh…" He looks away sheepishly. He glances at you and pauses, as his eyes slide to the window. "Mika… I need you to wake up." He says, alarm rising in his voice. You freeze before looking out as a black and orange object appears, coming for the plane at an alarming rate. Mika jolts awake, looking out and tensing, grabbing yours and Daishou's hand.   
"Brace for impact!" You call as a pink forcefield forms around you three and the rack above your seats just as the object collides with the plane.

"Hey Kenma. Can you help me? I cant find Tsumu." Osamu says, leaning over the back of the couch.   
Kenma blinks at him before gasping. "Oh I forgot. He was in ___'s bag. Did he not come back yet?"  
"... What?" He and Oikawa say together.   
"I assumed he wanted a personal goodbye and that's why he was not it… Oh.." Kenma covers his mouth in realization.  
"Nope. That's not Tsumu." Osamu sighs.  
"What a stubborn fox…"


	17. Beautiful Sky

There are screams all around as the object rips through the plane, pushing Mika's bubble back. The front end of the plane falls away, people falling out. You were scared as the end of the plane you're in starts to drop as well.  
"Mika! You two need to jump! Or you'll be trapped in the plane when it sinks!" You tell her pulling your arm free of her panicked grip. She gives you a horrified look. "Don't worry. I'm gonna be a hero, remember?" You smile fearlessly.  
"Alright." Daishou nods to you putting an arm around her and making the bubble bounce out of the plane. You swiftly use your quirk to free some of the passengers, tossing them out quickly. A few moments pass when the tail end meets the water, splitting open the walls before falling on it's top. You hit the wall, coughing as water rushes in. You swiftly get up, bursting the seatbelts and pushing people toward the exit. You look over as a shape catches your eye, making you freeze.   
"Tsumu?" You breathe scooping up the little fox. He was soaked and didn't seem conscious, but he was warm. You close your eyes in relief, holding him close as you swiftly continue on freeing passengers. "I got you."   
The water was reaching your waist now, you had to sling an unconscious passenger over your shoulder, there were two others but you weren't sure you could carry them safely. A fin appears at the other end of the plane and you freeze as it swims up. Then it surfaces and you blink at the guy. "How many left?" He asks.  
"Uh. I got two unconscious there and it looks like three others." You say.   
"Free them, I'll get the rest. Get out now, there's an island nearby but I think that thing is coming back so hurry." He tells you, going to grab them. You nod, freeing the rest before hurrying to the gap. You look out, spotting the island. You look between the fox and the passenger you had. You hop out, dragging the passenger along by his shirt and moving Atsumu to your shoulder as you swim for the island.   
You slowly but surely reach the island, Terushima and a few others swim back out to help you to the beach, taking the passenger and putting him with the other unconscious people.   
"Are there more?" Daishou asks you.  
"Shark guy is getting them. There were like five so he's going to need help." You tell him.   
"Got it… Is that uh fox okay?" He adds.   
"I don't know. He's breathing but… I think he's unconscious too…" You frown holding him. "Atsumu? Wake up."   
"Let me see him." Mika takes the fox gingerly, putting him down and feeling his head and neck. "He seems fine. Probably hit his head when the plane hit the water." She says looking up at you.   
"Okay then…" You relax nodding.   
"Shark guy!" Terushima calls with a point before hurrying out with a few others to help with the last of the passengers.  
"Shit." Daishou breathes looking toward the sky. "It's coming back! Get under the water!" He shouts after them before picking up Mika. "We need to hide." He tells you both. You nod scooping up Atsumu and moving to the underbrush where the unconscious passengers were hidden.  
You frown toward the waters where the guys went under as the ship flies overhead. "That thing is going to cause us problems if we leave it." You murmur passing Atsumu to Mika. You peer at the fox for a moment before walking out onto the beach. "And they're going to pay for that." You growl as it turns about. You lift your right hand to it.   
'Just let loose. Focus on what you want to destroy. It's not a bad thing.' Tendo had once told you.  
'I can do this.' You think, widening your stance as the ship seems to lock on you, a gun coming out. 'Destroy it.' Your fingers tense and you narrow your gaze. "Burst."   
Your arm comes undone, bursting itself. The ship's front half bursts, the pilot falling out before the other half of the ship crashes into the water. Sending up a large wave that crashes into the beach, washing up the pilot. You stagger back, panic coming to your chest as you touch your shoulder, making part of your arm pull back together. You swiftly feel down your arm, bringing it back together, once it's whole again, an unbelievable surge of pain shoots through your arm, stealing your breath and falling to your knees.  
"___!" Mika gasps running out and to your side. "Are you okay?!" You can't really respond so you just nod. Daishou moves past, snake tail coming out and wrapping around the pilot tightly.   
"You got some explaining to do." He comments, eyes becoming like a snake's as he glares at the pilot.  
"That was awesome!" Terushima gasps as he and the others reach the beach. He pauses, blinking at you. "Hm? You get hurt?" He asks.  
"K-Kinda. I'm fine though." You hiss out.  
"Okay cool." He pats your back.   
"Ah shit." Daishou suddenly gasps, tossing the pilot into the water just before there's a blast. "The bastard self destructed!"  
"Sounds like a serious Villain organization." A black haired guy murmurs.   
"Could've attacked us because of someone on board then." Daishou says, coming back over. "You okay there? That was pretty insane." He says to you.  
"Yeah. I think I'm good… Never had my arm burst before." You stand up, holding your arm and looking around. "Alright… We need to see to these passengers first then.. Uh… Make a fire to try and signal someone?" You look to Daishou.  
"Yes. Excuse me, you with the shark quirk." He looks to the guy that had brought the rest of the passengers over.  
"Teradomari, or just Tera. What do you need?" The guy introduces himself.  
"Could you go see if there are any survivors over where the front half went down? If you can, see if there's a communicator you can grab from that in. Should be a first aid kit in that half too…" Daishou says.  
"Sorry to put so much on you Tera." You add.  
"Don't worry about it. You took care of the main threat, doing this much will be easy." Tera assures you. "I'll try to get us all some food while I'm out too." He adds before going back to the water and diving in.  
"Alright. Mika, can we leave the injured in your care?" Daishou turns to her.  
"Leave it to me." She nods with a smile. He turns to the others.  
"Okay. Names and quirks." He says pointing to the black haired guy.   
"Hiro, ghost quirk."  
"Kuguri, sculpting quirk."  
"Terushima, lightning fists."   
"Konoha, copycat quirk."  
"Himekawa, air raid."   
You and Daishou look at eachother. "It's really all over the place." He comments.  
"Yeah… Um… I guess I'll take the trees down then. Terushima and Himekawa can help carry them here for burning." You nod.  
"Alright. Kuguri can sculpt some tools… Right?" Daishou looks at him.  
"I guess." Kuguri nods.  
"And the other two can scout for useful things." Daishou finishes nodding.  
"On it." Everyone breaks apart, moving into the jungle. You use your quirk to start taking out trees. The other two carrying them back to the beach. You stop at ten, pausing as you think about whether to get more. You glance to the side to find Kuguri standing there with an axe, making you let out a surprised gasp.  
"Kuguri! You are quiet!" You manage. He blinks at you before looking at the axe and holding it out to you.  
"Sculpted this to help you." He says.  
"Th-thanks. I was just about to start taking some of these back." You smile taking it. He nods moving past and picking up one end. He peers back at you expectantly and you nod picking up the other end before starting for the beach with him.   
"I think that's enough…." Daishou comments as you return. "Once we cut these into pieces-"  
"This is my last resort! Suffocation! No breathing!" Terushima starts rocking out while everyone watches him stunned.  
"... Okay. Anyway.. Once they're in pieces we will have enough to burn for the rest of the day." Daishou tells you after shaking his head.  
"That guy is not all there." Hiro comments, making both of you jump.  
'These damn ninjas!' You think a bit annoyed.  
"Yeah… You guys find anything?" Daishou asks.  
"We found herbs. And berries, and fruit." Hiro holds up a big wooden bowl. "Konoha borrowed Kuguri's quirk." He adds.   
"My fingers hurt. It was harder to sculpt with wood than I thought." Konoha sighs.  
"Alright. Looking good. Let's get the fire set up." Daishou nods. "But we still need water."  
"We're going back in. Just came to empty the bowls." Hiro states.  
"Mika set up an area over there for food, leave the herbs with her." Daishou points. "Kuguri, go with them."   
"Right."  
You start hacking through the wood and helping pile it up. "Tera come back yet?" You ask Daishou.  
"No… I'm hoping when the others start waking up there will be someone we can send to help him." He says, looking toward the waves.  
"Yeah." You look to where Mika was watching over the unconscious. "Alright. Let's get this fire going… Somehow."   
"Right." He nods and you both try different tricks with sticks and wood to start a fire but it wasn't working. "Damn I broke the stick again."  
"Fire. Fire fire fire fire. FIRE!" You growl spinning your harshly. It snaps to and you give a frustrated yell. "Dammit. Those survival guys make this look easy!"  
"Okay listen. What if we find a piece of glass?" Daishou breathes.  
"Doesn't it need to be a certain shape?" You frown understanding his thought process. He pauses before bowing his head with a nod.  
"How are we going to get this fire going?" He sighs.   
"Like this." A familiar voice says behind you and you look back to see Atsumu crouching, hand out to the stack of wood, igniting it with a red flame.  
"... It's about time you woke up stow away." You smile, getting up and hugging his neck.  
"Heh… So… What the hell happened? I remember screams and tried to get out of your bag when something made me hit my head." He says, looking over at you.   
"We were attacked. Washed up here, the villain came back, I took out his ship and then he kinda… Self destructed when Daishou was trying to get information." You tell him tilting your head to Daishou.   
"Um… Who…" Daishou points at Atsumu, looking at you.  
"The fox." You answer.  
"Hello." Atsumu waves.  
"Okay. Glad you're up now." Daishou nods. "And now that we got the fire going… Lets get some food." He stands up as Mika comes over.  
"I see Tera coming back." She says. You and Daishou look toward the ocean.  
"Looks like he got a lot." You breathe before you both swim out to him. He had a large fish in his jaws, a radio under one arm, a first aid kit hooked by his pinkie and a large man on his back unconscious. You take the radio and first aid kit, swimming back as Daishou helps him with the big guy. Atsumu meets you halfway, taking the radio to the shore for you. You pass the kit to Mika before looking back as Daishou and Tera drag the man over to the others.  
"He looks familiar. Is he a pro?" You ask, leaning over him.   
"... I think so. He's like an ambassador hero that moves between countries." Daishou nods. "Think his name is Hibarida..?"   
"It is. He came to my middle school last year to talk about future heroes." Atsumu nods.   
"Okay back up. I need to check his vitals." Mika shoos you four away.  
"Okay… Guess we'll get started on cooking." Daishou breathes, turning away.  
"Ooh leave the fish to me." Tera gives a thumbs up.  
"Gonna need more, the fruit and coconuts aren't really going to help." Daishou says. "The fish Tera brought might not be enough once the others wake up."   
"I got the hunting part then." Atsumu smiles rather smugly.  
"Good because I have a weakness for animals." You raise your hand.   
"I'll be hunting too. I doubt a tiny fox can bring back anything big." Daishou smirks a bit, eyes becoming snake-like as emerald scales reveal themselves under his eyes.  
"Ooh. We'll see about that then. Snake." Atsumu's eyes narrow. You look between them.   
"Don't forget we were attacked and enemies might be nearby guys." You remind them. "So be careful and have fun." You add when they look at you. They both nod and take off at that.  
"That sure became competitive." Mika comments making you look over. "So, is that fox guy your friend? He said your name when he woke up… Scared me too." She chuckles.  
"Yeah. He's my roommate… His twin must be really worried…" You frown.  
"Oh. Sounds like he was worried about you then." She comments.  
"Yeah. He was pretty suspicious about the sudden letter from my mom. Didn't think he'd sneak on board though." You shake your head in amazement.  
"Hm? You got a letter too?" She tilts her head and you pause. "I got one from my cousin I haven't heard from in a long time. Sent a ticket and passport."  
"Yeah… Same here." You breathe, paling a bit. "Daishou?"  
"He thought it was weird and got a ticket to come with me." She says, eyes widen before you both look at the other passengers. "Do you think… This was a trap?"  
"I do now… Let's ask some of the others when they get back." You tell her.  
"Right…" She looks down, frowning unhappily. "I'll apologize to Daishou when he gets back."   
"I'll do the same with Atsumu. But he'll probably say something like… 'I knew something was up. I'm just glad I can be here with you to get through it.'." You say and smile. "Daishou probably won't be as blunt but I'm sure he'll feel the same way."   
"Yeah? He really is sweet." She blushes lightly, brightening up a bit.   
"... Mika stop being cute. We got food to make." You tell her, making her blush a bit more.  
"R-Right."   
Soon everyone is gathered in the temporary living area again, and while the food is cooking, Mika and you discuss your suspicions with the others.  
"Ah damn. I got the same letter too." Terushima sighs.  
"Same here." Hiro states while Kuguri nods.   
"So… We're all fools." You nod before looking at Atsumu and Daishou for confirmation.  
"Just… Naive and hopeful…" Daishou sighs, rubbing his eyes.  
"Yeah. But that's why I'm here." Atsumu smiles a bit.  
"... Daishou is so nice." You comment to Mika.  
"I was just teasing." Atsumu chuckles. "But I was right."   
"Yes, you were." You nod and look down with a smile.   
"The food is almost ready." Himekawa calls.  
"This grill set up that Kuguri sculpted is awesome." Konoha comments.  
"Yeah, Kuguri, your quirk is amazing." You tell him as he messes with a stick, he glances at you before finishing and holding the little wooden flower out to you in response. "So cool…." You gasp, taking it happily. He just smiles a bit and moves to get some food.  
"Never fails…" Atsumu comments making you look over at him as he sends a smile. "You get popular wherever you go."  
"I do not. Lets get some food." You breathe nudging him.   
"Do to."  
"Do not."  
"... Yes you do."  
"No."  
"Yes." Atsumu chuckles as you toss him a frown, getting a plate from Tera.   
"Fine. You can have that one." You sigh. He smiles getting a plate of food before following after you, sitting with you on one of the flat rocks near the shore. "How did you get past security anyway?"   
"I got out of your bag when you got there and dodged security for a bit, then got back in your bag when you got near the gate." He shrugs. "Most people ignored me since I had a collar on."  
"You have a collar?" You blink at him.  
"Well not anymore… It sank with your bag probably." He says pointedly.   
"Oh…" You look to the ocean wondering if the twins would get mad if you bought them collars. "Well… Thank you. For you know…" You rub your cheek.   
"You don't need to. I would've just been worrying about you the whole time if I didn't." He says, pausing as you lean on him.   
"Still… I'm not so scared anymore." You smile. He peers at you and swallows, looking to the side and leaning against you in return, tilting his head on yours.  
"I remember you… When me and Osamu were playing outside with a ball and you randomly appeared. Looking so lost and sad… I left that ball for you. But I guess it didn't help because it was there when we went back the next day." He breathes.  
"It did. I felt a little better, but I was worried I'd burst it so I put it down and went on to the creek. I was sad that day because I realized why my mom wasn't coming to get me from the halfway home. And I wanted to disappear." You tell him, looking at your right hand. "I tried too. But Sakusa showed up and stopped me. And I couldn't be happier that he did…" You smile widely and meet his gaze. "I got to meet you again. And meet everyone. Even if I have this curse. I feel blessed to have everyone."   
"I'm glad you're still here… That we're still here." He hums looking at the waves. "I'm sorry, about getting annoyed when we stopped hanging out for so long. I know you were trying to get better. We all were. I just…" He frowns, turning a bit red and looking to the side. "I miss you like crazy sometimes. And sometimes you weren't even far, maybe sitting in another room or training outside. I feel lame about it too…" He grumbles, hiding his face.  
"... You're really wrestling with Bokuto on being the number one cutie right now." You grin.  
"Shut up… It doesn't mean I like you or anything." He scoffs, hiding his face more.  
"Almost there." You nudge him.   
"I'm warning you…" He hisses, ears red. You smile and hug him warmly.  
"Fine. I'll stop teasing you." You tell him. "Let me see that face though." You rest your chin on his arm and he lowers it to give you a half hearted glare. "Yep. Number one suits you right now."   
"Damn you." He says looking away again but smiling a bit. You lean over and kiss his cheek. "You're the worst. You're going to make my friggin head pop." He shakes his head.   
"Alright alright." You chuckle, taking the plates and standing up. "Go get you some water." You poke his cheek before heading to where the others were washing off the plates.   
"So, one of the passengers woke up and they say a storm is nearby." Daishou says, joining you. "So we need to get everyone inland."  
"Alright. Hiro, did you guys find any spots where we can hide from a storm?" You ask as you stoop to clean off the plates beside him.  
"There was a cave. But we didn't go in. No light." He informs.   
"Well, we got a fire quirk that can help with that. Lead us to it please, I'm not sure how much time we have." You tell him. He nods and straightens up.  
"You two go ahead. The rest of us will help get ready to head there with the last of the unconscious." Daishou tells you.   
"Alright. Atsumu, we need you." You call as you follow Hiro. Atsumu swiftly joins your side as you enter the jungle, heading further inland briskly. It's not long before you find the mouthh of a cave. You use your quirk to clear the entrance before looking to Atsumu. He blinks and nods, hand igniting as he heads in, leading the way. It seemed more like a tunnel, but it did eventually open up to a cavern.   
"Seems like it'll fit everyone… Kinda weird how empty and clean it looks." You peer around. "And dry."   
"No holes in the ceiling. Should be safe from the storm in here." Atsumu agrees.  
"I'll go get them then. You two get a fire started in here." You tell them starting out.  
"Be careful." You and Atsumu tell eachother, making you pause as he smiles a bit. You toss him a smile before hurrying back to the original camp, giving Daishou a nod when he looks up.  
"Alright, lets move out." He tells the rest. Most were up now, only five and Hibarida were still unconscious. You and Kuguri move to get the pro hero but the moment Kuguri touches him, his eyes snap open and you instinctively push Kuguri back as a burst of wind sends flying into the sky, spinning slightly. You try to straighten out finding yourself with a great view of the island.   
Something crashes into and you stiffen, feeling scales. "Got ya." Daishou breathes, your falling course changing towards the water. You near the water and his form changes into a giant snake, wrapping around you completely before you hit the water. He changes back and you both swim up and for the shore. You both crawl onto the shore panting.   
You share a glance before you bust out laughing, making him laugh too. "Did you hear the sound when he hit me?" You laugh.  
"It was like a 'pa-THUMP'! Greatest sound I ever heard." He chuckles.   
"I have never seen so much sky in my life." You joke, making him laugh more.   
"Gorgeous view though." He chuckles and you snicker.   
"Yes. Absolutely… Totally worth almost dying for." You breathe.  
"I'm glad you two can laugh about this." Mika's voice makes you both look over as she relaxes. "Are you okay?"  
"I am great. I'm alive thanks to Daishou here… How did you get up there by the way?" You look at him as you both get up.  
"Air Raid." He points to Himekawa as he and the others run out to you both.  
"Nice." You muse.   
"I am so sorry." Hibarida gives you an apologetic bow.  
"Its okay. Not the first time I got sent flying. But it is the first time going that high." You chuckle, patting his shoulder. You look over at Kuguri, "You okay? Sorry for pushing you-" You pause as he hugs you. "Aww…"  
"Alright. Lets get going again. The storm is closing in." Daishou chuckles, patting your back to take the lead.  
"Right, this way guys." You take the lead to the cave as Daishou explains the situation to Hibarida.   
"I see… Sorry I was no help." The pro frowns troubled.   
"Its fine. At least you're up before we get attacked again." You tell him.  
"I'm surprised they haven't came yet. Hitting us again before we got organized would've been a smart move." Daishou frowns.  
"Unless they think this is some sort of game? Isn't there a villain group that does that? They used to post videos of putting people with all kinds of quirks in a secluded area and hunting them down?" You remember.  
"Yeah! They called themselves the… Orderly Hunters!" Mika gasps.   
"This does sound like their thing." Hibarida agrees.  
"I'm just glad its not the quirk thieves again." You sigh.  
"Oh right. Raizu did have a run in with Claw." Daishou frowns at your back. "But didn't one of the Orderly Hunters have a quirk that cut all frequencies over those areas."  
"So the radio isn't gonna work." Tera concludes.  
"Unless we take it out of the area." You point out.   
"Sounds like we'll need a raft then." Daishou comments.  
"Yeah. I'm thinking a two person team so they don't draw attention." You nod.  
"I'll go. Even if we get discovered I can swim away from the danger with the other person." Tera nods.  
"You're super reliable Tera." You tell him.   
"You just leave the sea to me." He smiles.  
"We got any one with a tech quirk?" Daishou asks the group.  
"I-I do…" A freckled guy raises his hand but the blond with him makes him lower his hand.  
"No Yamaguchi." The blond says before looking at Daishou. "His quirk only helps him see into computers and things like that."  
"Ah. Worth a shot." Daishou says. "Any volunteers then?"  
"I'll go. I might not have a tech quirk. But I know how to work radios." A man raises his hand.  
"Alright. We'll probably have to start tomorrow depending on the storm, and night is already near." Daishou nods.   
"Shouldn't you leave the leadership thing to the pro now?" The blond comments, making Daishou pause, annoyance flashing in his eyes at the others tone.  
"I don't want to make waves here. Everything seems to be running smoothly without me stepping in." Hibarida says lightly. "You two are doing great." He adds to you and Daishou. You both blink and share a smile before looking ahead.  
"There it is. Looks like Atsumu and Hiro got the fire started." You say before entering the cave.  
"You took a bit." Atsumu comments, sending you a slight frown.   
"Yeah sorry. Daishou and I just wanted to go for a dive in the ocean." You joke, making Daishou snicker. Hibarida puts a hand over his face at that.  
"Yeah. We wanted to get a nice look at the sky while we were at it." Daishou puts in, making you laugh.   
".... You two stop picking on the pro." Mika scolds.   
"I'm sorry." You, Daishou, and Hibarida say together. You and Daishou glance back at him in surprise before turning away to conceal a laugh.   
"It was a mistake sir! Don't mind them!" Mika assures, sending you both a scowl.   
"... Are you as lost as me?" Atsumu murmurs to Hiro. The other slowly turns his head to look him straight in the eye.  
"Always."  
Before the rain started to come down, everyone swiftly moves about to get bedding and set up for night. Kuguri sculpts a doorway and door at the mouth of the cave after camouflaging it. As he finishes the storm hits. Everyone spreads out to their own beds to wait out the storm and go to sleep.   
"So. Are you disappointed it wasnt your mom that sent the letter?" Atsumu whispers as he lays down beside you.  
"No… I feel relieved actually. I never really thought about what would happen if she came back into my life." You admit as you both turn to eachother.   
"I figured. Just with how you reacted to getting the letter." He says, poking at the bandage you were using to keep your right fist closed.  
"I was scared to read it." You murmur, touching his hand with your left to make him stop before tracing over it. "Guess I really am still messed up about the abandonment."   
"I don't think that's something people can really heal from." He turns his hand as you start tracing his palm before slowly taking his hand, fingers intertwining with his. He watches your face quietly as you do.  
"I already said it… but thanks for coming after me." You breathe, meeting his warm gaze.  
"Always." He responds, kissing the back of your hand. He keeps it to his lips as he closes his eyes. "Always…" He repeats as he drifts off. You blink at him, tearing up slightly, before smiling and moving closer until you can press your forehead to his, kissing the back of his hand in response.

"Guys! News! Bad!" Nishinoya stammers loudly, waving his arms worriedly as he peers into the dining hall.  
"What? What now?" Iwaizumi blinks at him. Nishinoya pauses briefly.  
"___ and Atsumu are on flight 433 right?" He asks. Everyone in the dining room gets up now, following him to the living room. News of your plane going missing was being broadcasted all over.  
"... Dammit." Iwaizumi rubs his eyes.  
"Alright, looks like we'll go help the Coast Guards and Marines." Oikawa places his hands on his hips.  
"Nah. I'm flying." Bokuto states.  
"I had a feeling this would be the case." Takeda's voice makes everyone look back. "So I got the bus ready to take you." He gives a thumbs up.  
"Sensei, you're the best." Ryuu and Nishinoya say together.  
"I'll go with Bokuto-san, I'll be able to get a better signal for the tracker." Akaashi says.  
"Osamu, you're going to catch something on fire." Sakusa brings the attention to the flaming twin.  
"... I'm going to kick someone's ass when we find them." He breathes.  
"Oh no. Osamu snapped, ruuun…" Kenma says, slowly moving away.  
"The worry must be getting to him." Kuroo comments.


	18. Busy

"Sakusa!" Tendo's call makes him pause and look over as the redhead jogs up. "I saw the news. Are you leaving to find ___?" He asks. Sakusa nods, looking to the bus as everyone loads up. "... If I said I can find ___ faster would you come help me instead?"  
"What do you mean by that?" Sakusa raises an eyebrow at him.  
"What I said. I was thinking about the letter ___ got. I don't think 'mom' has left the country. Want to come with me to check?" Tendo tilts his head. Sakusa pauses at that, blinking at him.  
"Sakusa! You coming?" Oikawa calls from the bus. Sakusa looks back to the bus, debating for a moment.  
"I hoped you would trust me this time." Tendo frowns softly. "I could really use your help."  
"... Okay Tendo. Lead the way." Sakusa looks at him again with a nod. Tendo smiles and leads him off.  
"Huh? Guess Sakusa isn't coming…" Oikawa tilts his head.  
"Looks like Tendo needs him for something." Iwaizumi comments. Kuroo watches them go quietly before turning to them.  
"Let's get going."  
Tendo takes Sakusa to a town that he hasn't been to in a long time. The redhead hums a bit, leading him down the street to an unkempt house, knocking on the door. After a few moments, the door cracks open and a woman peers out.  
"Hello Melody, is ___ here?" Tendo smiles.  
"You again… I told you this a year ago. ___ doesn't live here anymore." She frowns at him.   
"Really? That's too bad. I heard ___ is going to be a hero. I wanted to stop by to say how proud I am." Tendo chimes. Melody pauses, opening the door more, face lighting up a bit.  
"___? A hero?... What else?" She gives a small smile that was very familiar to Sakusa, making him shift.  
"Hmmm oh! I heard that ___ is very popular in high school. There's a lot of people that would go to war for ___." Tendo chuckles thoughtfully. "And ___ has been as happy as ever."  
Melody smiles more, tears rising to her eyes, lip quivering. "That's great…. Thank you." She sniffs. Tendo just smiles softly.  
"You look thin Melody. You should eat, ___ would be worried. And you want to see ___ be a hero don't you?" He takes off his backpack and hands it to her. "Here, I brought you gifts. Make sure you watch the videos on the tablet okay?" He says softly before turning her about and gently nudging her back down the hall. "I'll come back." He adds before closing the door. "Just as I thought." He hums starting off again.  
"You… Come visit her??" Sakusa peers at his face in confusion.   
"Yep every year since I met ___, she's getting worse every time I come here. But I guess living with that amount of regret does that." Tendo responds looking ahead.  
"Does ___ know?"  
"Nope. It's safe for them both that they don't meet again."   
"Tendo… What are you talking about?"   
"I forgot for a moment, but I guess it's too late to lie now. There's more to that abandonment than we know… Anyway, right now our focus is on ___… So, we're going to infiltrate an organization that just might know where ___ is." Tendo smiles, and Sakusa stops.  
".... What…." 

"That storm last night is going to make it hard to get another signal fire going." Daishou mutters as you both survey the area from on the cliff above the cave.   
"Atsumu can focus on that then. But we don't know the draw back to his flames yet." You assure. "Kuguri's quirk is going to help make the raft easier at least."  
"True. And now that everyone's awake, the supply gathering will be faster." He nods.  
"We're pretty good at this surviving thing." You smirk, nudging him.  
"Heh. So far. But we'll probably be attacked today. We should be careful." He says looking toward the horizon.   
"Yes boss." You give a mock salute, making him pause and look at you before chuckling.   
"Let's get started." He says before you both hop down, landing at the cave door before going in.   
"So what's the plan for today?" Atsumu asks as you both reach the cavern.  
"Well, you're on fire signal duty." You inform.   
"We'll split up the jobs. We need people to gather what we need for the raft and food. We need people that can help build and shape the raft.-"  
"That's me and you Kuguri." You point at him.  
"And we need scouters as well as someone building up defences. There's a chance the villains will be coming for a visit today. Let's pay them back for their greeting yesterday." Daishou lowers his chin with a small smile.   
"Right."  
With that everyone splits up. Kuguri joins you on the beach as you peer about in thought. The blond guy and freckled guy from yesterday join you.   
"What's the plan? You don't look like you're thinking of a normal raft." The freckled one says timidly. You blink and look at them.  
"Names?"  
"Yamaguchi."  
"Tsukishima."  
"I'm ___ and this is Kuguri… You're right Yamaguchi. I don't want to make a normal raft." You tell them. "If I can… I want to make something that can move fast, and light so Tera can pull it if need be. If they get spotted or attacked I'd like to keep them and the radio safe. That radio is our safest ticket out of here." You tilt your head in thought.  
"So more like a canoe?" Tsukishima asks.   
"Possibly… What do you have there Kuguri?" You ask, glancing over as he draws in the sand.  
"This." He sits up to let you all see the outrigger canoe design. "Fast, and light."  
"Alright. What do we need?" Tsukishima inquires.  
"Wood. Cloth for sails, rope… I can do the rest." Kuguri straightens as he stands and stretches he glances at you as you frown slightly. "My fingers start bleeding after sculpting too long. I still need your help."  
"Alright." You nod. "Nice that you're talking now." You smile. He pauses and looks away casually.   
"Coming through." Daishou says and you pause as his group brings some trees to the beach.  
"Daishou, we need cloth." You tell him.   
"Hmm we could check the cargo in the plane. Take Tera with you." He tells you.   
"Got it. What about rope?" You ask.  
"Mika and some others are at the original camp making rope." He informs. "We'll handle the wood." He adds.  
"Alright, thanks." You nod before looking toward where the back of the plane had sank.  
"Be careful." Kuguri murmurs. You nod and move along the beach, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima joining you.  
"Isn't the plane at the bottom of the ocean now?" Tsukishima inquires.  
"Tera said that it landed in a shallow area actually. Should be close enough to swim down without too much trouble." You respond. "Hey Tera! We need to get some cargo from the plane." You call when you spot him.  
"Alright!" He smiles coming over quickly. "Eh? All of you want to go out?"  
"I don't." Tsukishima says.   
"I do." Yamaguchi says.  
"Then just us. Can ya handle it?" You smirk.   
"Of course. The more the merrier." He raises his chin. "Lets go."  
You chuckle and follow him into the water with Yamaguchi, both of you grabbing one of Tera's shoulders as his fins come out before he swims for the plane swiftly.  
"Whoa!" Yamaguchi gasps in surprise. You chuckle and watch as your destination soon comes into view.   
"Alright I'll get into the cargo hold while Yamaguchi gets the bags in the seating area." You hum. "Tera, you do what you want, I'm sure you won't let me down."  
"Got it." They respond as you all come to a stop above the plane. You take in a deep breath before diving down for the opening in the cargo hold, grabbing all the luggage you can swim with before going back out. Tera comes over, helping you to the surface so you could breathe again.  
"Okay. I'll go get him, try not to sink." Tera tells you before diving down. You struggle to stay above water until he gets back with Yamaguchi who also had more than necessary. Tera takes you both back to shore, carrying a few bags himself. You drop everything once you get back to Kuguri.  
"There. We should have enough here." You smile. "Oh, wow, you already got it looking like a canoe." You gasp.   
"Wood is easy to work with." He murmurs, fingers lightly curving the wood more. You crouch a bit to watch him work steadily.  
"That's… Kinda mesmerizing Kuguri." You comment. He sends you a small smile and looks past you, smile falling.  
"They're coming." He says. You look back to see another small airship flying for the island.   
"We need to warn the others-" You cut off as calls sound from the original campsite. "Nevermind. Let's go." You say, running for the calls. You reach the other shore where Daishou and the rest have gathered.   
"___, can you do it one more time?" He asks you.  
"Yeah. But everyone else needs to get away from me. I can't focus if you're too close." You respond.  
"Alright. Everyone, get behind the tree line." Daishou orders and everyone swiftly moves back, Hibarida and Atsumu hesitantly follow.   
You widen your stance raising your right arm. 'I only got one shot.' You think, focusing and feeling your arm start to buzz, some red particles lifting off of it. The ship suddenly veers away, making you pause just before a pair of tentacles burst out of the water and yanks you in. Daishou runs out for the water at that.  
"Tera, with me!" He shouts before diving as he takes his snake form, swimming after you.   
You had taken a breath when you were grabbed, but the tentacle tightening around your chest was forcing it back out. You grit your teeth, hand reaching for the tentacle, bubbles forcing themselves through your lips. Losing air fast, not reaching the tentacle. Your vision darkens, or maybe you're being pulled in too deep. A figure comes into view with smiling shark teeth.   
'Oh no. Don't like that…' You think trying to struggle more but a powerful squeeze expels the last of your oxygen. A large shape speeds past, chomping the tentacle in half and freeing you. Daishou grabs you and pulls you up into his side, tail helping propel you both toward the far off surface. He peers at your unfocused face and tenses, looking between the surface and you before pressing his lips to yours and giving you some air.   
You blink back a bit, some of the dark clearing. Daishou swiftly reaches the surface and you both cough and gasp for air.   
"Get down! It's coming!" Atsumu shouts to you both. You look over as the ship turns about, guns lowering. You raise your hand to it as it comes.  
"Burst." You breathe, arm coming undone as you take out part of the air ship. It swerves, crashing into the water behind you and making a big wave that forces you and Daishou back under. You try to focus but you're aware of your shoulder starting to separate too. Daishou pulls you back up to the surface.   
"You're turning to dust!" Tera gasps at you when he surfaces, swiftly pushing you both toward the shore.   
"Hang in there ___." Daishou tells you. He pulls you onto shore and you fall to your knees, gripping near your shoulder and making it come back together. You swallow as you get your arm to return and then your hand fingers. Your heart shudders as pain surges through, making you black out. Daishou pauses as you sway and swiftly catches you before you fall over, checking your pulse before relaxing. "You did good."   
"What the heck was that? Did that happen before? Is ___ okay?" Atsumu asks worriedly.  
"Yeah, this happened last time too. But it was just the arm before and it seemed painful then. So ___ probably passed out to escape the additional pain this time." Daishou assures, picking you up as he stands, passing you to Atsumu. "Anyways, it saved us again… But there's probably going to be more." He looks over his shoulder at the horizon. "Take ___ back to the cave. We'll have to get ready for the next attack now." He adds.  
"Right." Atsumu swiftly takes you to the cave, going in and lighting the fire. He cups your cheek with a small frown. "Said I'm warmer now right?" He murmurs, taking off his shirt and bringing you into his chest and holding you tightly as he sits back against the wall, looking to the ceiling. 

*Meanwhile*

Sakusa couldn't believe what was happening, as he watches Tendo's back as the other cheerfully speaks to the intimidating villains that guarded some secluded airport.  
"Come on! We're very useful! I can see into the future. And my friend here can paralyze people with just a touch!" Tendo chimes. "Let us see Dante please?"   
"... Oi, how ya know the boss's name?" One leans forward suspicious.  
"Because he's about to come through the gate and this one's going to slip up and call him Dante then gets shot." Tendo points to the other. They pause and look back as the gate opens, a chubby guy with piercings comes out, making them straighten.  
"B-Boss!"  
"Dante!"  
As Tendo had predicted the other is shot in the head and goes done. "Hello boss! We're new recruits. Where do you want us?" Tendo greets happily. Dante looks him and Sakusa over.   
"Come with me, we're heading to the observation ship." He says starting off.  
Tendo smiles, waving to the gatekeeper before leading Sakusa after their new boss. Tendo's pace slows, one of his eyes glowing as he watches Dante's back. "This is going smoother than I thought."   
"... It is going unnervingly well. Almost feels like you do this often." Sakusa breathes.  
"I guess it does seem suspicious, but I found the easiest way to deal with an enemy is to befriend them." Tendo responds quietly.   
"... You're sure that the Orderly Hunters know where ___ is?" Sakusa changes the subject feeling uneasy.  
"Mhm. I mean. What villain wouldn't want part of that quirk?" Tendo grins. "Its powerful and could probably bring about a whole new world if ___ ever wanted to… I mean. Its an enticing idea. What if ___ one day that the world would be better off if it were just the two of you?" Tendo nudges him.  
Sakusa meets his teasing gaze, but it didn't really seem like he was joking. Sakusa looked away, for a moment his mind ran with the idea. But he shakes his head, knowing that the real ending to that dream wouldn't be happy.   
"You mean until one of us accidentally kills the other." He comments looking ahead.  
"Oh right. The doomed love." Tendo breathes. "It's a good thing I'm not you. Or I would've ended up loving ___ to death already."   
"That's a horrific thought." Sakusa frowns behind his mask.  
"But you're always thinking about it. No? Both of you are always worrying about how easy it is to hurt and kill someone, but you need to realize,there's always things to prevent it." Tendo pulls out a familiar black glove, looking at it affectionately. "Even monsters can have a chance at love."   
"... You're painfully optimistic." Sakusa sighs.  
"Optimistic? Or knowing?" Tendo sends him a wink. "Let's hurry up, he'll get impatient if we're not right behind him." He adds, quickening his pace.

*

You wake a bit, cuddling up to the warmth you were up against. "Mmm… So warm…" You breathe, eyes opening to see skin. "...Hm?"   
"You finally woke up, that's good." Atsumu breathes, peering at your face as you steadily turn red. "... Wow, you're glowing." He comments before you swiftly scramble away to calm your blush. "... ___?"  
"What… Why…" You turn your head to him with a frown. "Are you trying ta kill me!?"  
"Eh?" He blinks a few times. "I was tryna warm you up! You were all wet and cold. And I thought of other ways to warm you up but that would have freaked you out way more!" He snaps back. You grow redder as does he, glaring at each other.  
"Thank you for being considerate!"   
"You're welcome!"   
"... Can you put your shirt back on now..?"   
"Well now I don't want to." He smirks and you glare at him.  
"... I miss Osamu." You hiss.  
"How dare you." He breathes offended.  
"Mhm I'm going to give him a big kiss on the cheek when I see him." You boast, his jaw drops at that.  
"I only got a hug when you saw me." He frowns.  
"That's right." You smirk.  
"... You're hurting my feelings." He points.  
"As much as I would love to comfort you, I can not as long as you're shirtless."   
"Because… I'm so hot.?" He smirks flexing for you.   
"I'm leaving." You say starting for the door.  
"Shirt is on. Please hug me." He says, swiftly pulling it on. You look back at him as he opens his arms to you. With a chuckle you go over and hug him.  
"Thanks for keeping me warm." You hum.  
"No problem. At all. Would definitely do it again." He chuckles.   
"You're such a sap." You push him playfully before heading out. He smiles and goes after you with a chuckle.   
You get back to the original campsite to find everyone gathered around a small airship that seemed to have landed.  
"No pilot huh. Well, that was a bad idea on their part." Daishou comments.   
"Not bad Yamaguchi. We can probably use this to get out of-" A red light starts to flash and everyone backs up.  
'Self destruction sequence commencing.'  
"Run!" Daishou orders but pauses as you go past and burst the entire thing.   
"That seemed dangerous." You comments.  
"Sorry guys, I didn't know it had a second computer. I can only control one at a time…" Yamaguchi apologizes.  
"That's okay. No one knew about that. We'll just try to use the next one as a weapon instead." Daishou tells him before looking at you. "Feel better?"  
"I feel like my arm almost got ripped off…" You give thumbs up. He blinks at your thumb before turning it so your thumb is pointing down.  
"There you go… Anyway. Good to see you awake again." He smiles lightly. "While you've been out, the others have stepped up and we've been able to keep the enemy at bay."   
"Good… Where's Hibarida?" You ask looking around.  
"Well… One of the others got a possible location of the enemy and he went to take care of them… But that was an hour ago and we're still getting attacked." He frowns looking toward the horizon. "We'll just have to do what we can without him. Let's finish the boat and get the radio out tonight."  
"Alright. Since the enemy seems to come from that side, let's send the boat out on the opposite side." You say with a point. "Though at this point we should send an offensive quirk with them just in case."  
"What about lightning fists?" Daishou says and you both look at Terushima.   
"Yeah! I can do it." The blond grins, fists flashing out with bolts of electric flickering off.  
"Okay… You can stop now." Daishou says.  
"Can't until the charge is out."  
"Then face toward the waves." You tell him, the lightning was making you uneasy.   
"I can't move either." He smiles. You and Daishou blink, before turning to the others.  
"Anyone else?" Daishou asks.  
"I'll go. My quirk might not be strong, but I can protect these two if need be." A woman says, raising her hand.  
"Alright. Let's finish the raft." You nod. The group splits in half now, one to guard from attack, the other to finish the raft.  
"Kuguri sure can sculpt…" Konoha huffs, sculpting some other pieces.  
"Right? It's so smooth." You murmur, laying out the cloth to make the sail, some others moving to sew it all together. Mika and the rest were roping things together. It doesn't take long before it's ready.  
"Alright… Lets load it up." You breathe.  
"Sun's setting." Atsumu says as the boat is loaded up with food and canteens of fresh water, and finally the radio.  
"Then they should be safe. We'll have guards tonight too so we'll be ready." You muse as the canoe is carried to the back of the island where Tera pulls it out to the ocean. "Be careful." You call as everyone waves after them.  
"All that's left is to get the food to the cave. Up our defences one last time…" Daishou nods.  
"And wait for rescue." You give a thumbs up. He blinks at you and smiles a bit, patting your head making you chuckle.  
"I can't wait to get home and shower." Mika gasps. You both look at her before you cover your face.  
"She's so damn cute." You sigh while Daishou turns away with a light blush.   
"... What were we doing again?" Daishou wonders.   
"How are we all still alive…" Tsukishima mutters.  
"Luck of the draw." Hiro says starting back.   
After gathering the food everyone gathers in the cave to eat dinner before heading to sleep. You volunteered to be on look out tonight so you go out and climb up the cliff where you and Daishou had stood this morning. You smile, climbing up even higher and sitting at the top, watching the stars shimmer over the vast ocean.   
After a few moments someone hops up to your side and sits down. "This is much nicer than this morning." Daishou comments.  
"Right? Can look back and see the outline of the canoe too." You breathe glancing back. He looks back as well and nods.  
"Great spot." He says, before passing you something wrapped in a leaf. "Hiro found cocoa earlier. Amela tried to make chocolate. Not very sweet though." He tells you as you unwrap it and take a bite.   
"Hmm… I like the coconut taste." You hum. "Thanks for saving me earlier by the way. You got there at the same time as Tera right? So fast."  
"It was my first instinct..." He rubs his neck, looking to the side briefly. "I think we would've had a much tougher time of this if you weren't here. So… Don't think much of it."   
"But. You've saved me like two or three times now. Daishou, you're amazing." You huff. He blinks and smiles at the horizon.   
"You have to be if you want your own agency." He says lightly.   
"Whoa. You're thinking that far huh? What's your hero name by the way?" You blink at him in awe.  
"Green Mamba." He smiles. "What about you?"   
"Little Destroyer." You grin. He pauses blinking at you before chuckling.  
"It suits you." He rumbles.  
"Thanks." You smile at the stars.   
"Daishou?" Mika's voice calls lightly. You both blink and you nudge him, prompting him to climb back down.  
"Sorry. Just wanted to check on ___." He tells her.  
"No problem, I made you two some juice, just wanted to bring it out." She says as you lean over to peer down at them.   
"Oh that sounds nice. Thank you Mika." You chime. Daishou takes one with his tail before climbing up and offering you a glass. You take a sip and hum happily as he climbs down. "Hey Daishou. When you go pro, can I be your sidekick? Sometimes at least?" You ask when he reaches Mika again. He stops looking up at you in shock while Mika gasps and grins at that, looking between you and him. Daishou gives a rather pure smile, chuckling a bit.  
"Of course. I can't think of a better sidekick to have." He says. Mika giggles and hugs him.  
"Best hero team!" She chimes.   
"... Mika…" You put a hand over your face while Daishou blushes a bit. "You're too damn cute, get inside." You breathe.   
"Right. See you in the morning." She smiles sheepishly heading inside.   
"If you get sleepy, come wake me. I'll take over for you." Daishou tells you before heading after her.  
"Goodnight everyone!" You call before sitting up and sipping the juice with a smile.


	19. Home

"Bokuto-San, lets land somewhere soon, you've been flying since we left…" Akaashi tells the giant owl, leaning to peer at its face. No response, it's golden eyes searching the waters far below. Akaashi frowns softly. "I know you're worried about ___ but this would cause them worry as well."  
A small hoot leaves the owl in response. Akaashi wasn't sure if the other was agreeing, but he was relieved to get a response this time at least. Akaashi pats his head before looking at the radar. A small island appears to the north, but suddenly the radar goes black.

*

"I miss ___!" Oikawa shouts over the waves.  
"... Shut up you idiot!" Iwaizumi hits him.   
"Ow Iwa-chan…" Oikawa pouts. "Don't be so mean! Don't you miss ___ too?" His question makes Iwaizumi pause, pink dusting his cheeks.  
"... Doesn't matter. You're being too noisy." He snaps.  
"I bet they're on an island." Nishinoya tells Ryuu. "Must be surviving to the fullest."  
"Or training." Ryuu nods. "They're going to have a wild story when we find them. Especially Atsumu!"   
"Shh. That name is taboo right now, remember?" Kuroo whispers to them, glancing toward the blue-gray fox sitting on the railing, ears and tail flickering with agitation.  
"Oh right." Ryuu and Nishinoya speak together.  
"So has Kenma spotted anything?" Nishinoya inquires.  
"He has but nothing linked to our missing buddies… Anyone hear from Tendo or Sakusa?" Kuroo responds.  
"Only Tendo. But all he said was that he and Sakusa were getting dirty in their search. Haven't heard from him since." Ryuu responds.  
"... That phrase has so many meanings…." Nishinoya mutters.  
"And Sakusa would be against all of them." Kuroo chuckles.  
"I don't know… When it comes to ___, Sakusa is pretty unpredictable." Ryuu comments. "Like when we all first watched a movie together and Atsumu was trying to cuddle up to ___."  
"Pretty sure that was a jealousy thing." Kuroo purses his lips.   
"Still not something you expect. And he only does that sort of thing when ____ is involved." Ryuu points out.  
"So if we add the crazy and protective best friend, and the fact ___ is missing or in danger. Means Sakusa is 100% unpredictable and twice as dangerous." Nishinoya says folding his arms with a nod. "... Wish I had gone with them."  
"Right? Sounds fun." Ryuu gasps.  
"... And now I'm concerned." Kuroo sighs.

+

"That seems awfully dangerous." Tendo breathes as Sakusa follows him into an empty storage room.   
"Why aren't we blowing this place yet?" Sakusa questions.  
"That was the idea until Dante pumped that venom into him… You know ___." Tendo points out.   
"... You're right…." Sakusa sighs. "So… What can we do?" Tendo hums at his question, putting a knuckle to his lips as his dark red eyes start to glow, eyes narrowing as he observes the current future. He soon blinks back and chuckles.  
"We're going to need the anti-venom. Or we'll all die." He states. "So I'll leave that to you. And you leave the escape to me." 

*

"Still no Hibarida…" Daishou frowns, glancing over the horizon.   
"I'm worried Dai-chan." You yawn, rubbing at your eyes. He pauses at the nickname, glancing at you.  
"You should sleep before you start to worry." He states.   
"No. I'm fine." You say, getting up and moving to climb down. Your foot slips and you start to fall but he catches you with his tail, keeping you in his grasp as he climbs down and places you on the ground. "Whoa… That was scary Dai-chan… You the beast." You give him finger guns. He blinks at you in surprise before smiling a bit.  
"I am going to enjoy teasing you when you wake up." He comments.  
"Don't do that." You shake your head before yawning again.  
"Come on sidekick, time for bed," He gets behind you, gingerly steering you into the cave.   
"Hmm… Dai-chan has such cool hands." You hum, leaning back against him.  
"I'm cold blooded." He responds. "See? Snake." He says before flicking his forked tongue at you.   
"Oh my." You put a hand over your mouth. That was kinda hot. He chuckles at your reaction as you both reach the cavern.  
"Oh look, Kuguri is still asleep, go cuddle up to him. If we need you we'll let you know." He says nudging you over to Kuguri.  
"Okay. Give Mika a kiss on the cheek for me. I bet she looks so cute this morning." You hum happily. He pauses and chuckles, shaking his head.  
"Alright. I'll be sure to do that, sleep well." He says going out. You smile and crawl between Kuguri's arms,waking him slightly as you cuddle up to him. He sleepily blinks at you before nuzzling your temple and hugging you before falling back to sleep.  
Atsumu looks over as Daishou rejoins everyone at the original camp. "Alright, I checked where the canoe is and they're currently on the horizon. I'm sure they'll make contact later today. But to keep the enemy from looking past us. Let's get some more fires going and ready for another attack." Daishou tells everyone.  
With that the groups split up again, Atsumu joining Daishou on collecting wood. "___?" Atsumu asks.  
"I had to send ___ to bed… Was acting really odd." Daishou chuckles.  
"Oh right. The cute sleepy head thing… I miss that." Atsumu recalls with a fond smile. "Really affectionate like that too."   
"I noticed… Gotta say Kuroo has some good kohai." Daishou comments. "You two are very helpful."  
"I'm barely keeping up with ___ though… I gotta get better at supporting… You two look so friggin cool when you work together." Atsumu grumbles. Daishou pauses and starts to laugh at that.   
"Do your best I guess, fox." He rumbles in amusement. "Say. Ever thought about going to Nohebi?"   
"No. I like Raizu." Atsumu responds. "And just so you know. ___ will give you the same answer."  
"That's too bad… I heard with the schools being under attack, that the Rescue Tournament is going to mix some of the competitions so the first and second years will compete." Daishou tells him. "I was hoping for it. But now, not so much. Might lose my future sidekick if we end up against each other."   
"Huh? You already have a sidekick? What the heck!?" Atsumu gasps. Daishou just smiles to himself at the reaction. "... Damn snake." He grumbles. Daishou flicks his tongue in response. "Gah! Don't do that! It's weird!"   
You yawn and stretch, feeling for your warmth before frowning and opening your eyes peering around tiredly before sitting up. "Ah. I got too used to cuddling… Now I can't sleep without it." You sigh, stretching a bit and popping your back. You get up and head outside for the original campsite. Kuguri meets you halfway and frowns a bit.  
"Oh… I was coming right back." He murmurs.  
"That's okay. Looks like I got a couple hours in thanks to you." You assure with a smile. He nods and joins you as you continue on.   
"___!" Mika greets with a wave. "Good morning. I have juice for you. And I'll cook you something to eat."   
"Good morning. Thank you." You smile, taking the coconut she hands you. "Daishou, did you do the thing?" You call as he and Atsumu return from lighting another pile of wood. He blinks at you and shakes his head slightly. "You better before I do." You want him. He blinks and smiles a bit, coming over and kissing Mika's cheek, making her blush slightly.  
"You two…" She murmurs, waving her hand.  
"... Damn. She got cuter again." You sigh.   
"Did you sleep well?" Atsumu asks, hugging you.  
"Yeah… I miss Osamu again though." You murmur into his shoulder.  
"Really?" He scoffs. "What? You want me to cook breakfast?" He huffs letting you go.   
"Atsumu. We both know that's a bad idea." You tell him.  
"... Tch… Then what is it? Don't miss him." He says stubbornly.  
"It's not just him. I miss Tendo, I miss my cactus, I miss Iwaizumi, I miss Bokuto…." You start to pout. "Tsumu. I want to cuddle chibi Bokuto and hear Oikawa laugh.. And see Kuroo's smile…." You wave your arms a bit in an attempt to calm yourself.   
"You need a bear hug huh?" Mika guesses and you give her a sad nod so she nudges Daishou promptly. He smiles a bit pulling you into a firm hug, feeling warm thanks to the hours in the sunlight. You blink a few times before relaxing and hugging him back.  
"There we go, heart rate has calmed down a bit." He pats your head before pulling back. "Get some food in your stomach." He adds before heading off to check on the others.   
"Yes boss." You call after him before sitting down, pausing when Atsumu joins you.   
"... Your cactus huh?" He hums.  
"Yeah. I'll claim the cactus." You chuckle. "Is that all you heard though?"  
"Kuroo's smile is weird." He murmurs.  
"No, it's cute."  
"Is not. He looks like someone that's going to put a curse on you the moment you turn away."   
"That sounds interesting actually."   
"... Geez. There is something wrong with you…"   
"Well… I'm not dead yet so something's going right."  
"Hehehe. You two sure are close." Mika giggles as she brings you some food.  
"Of course. We're roommates." You smile, nudging him.   
"Yeah…" Atsumu seems thoughtful for a moment. "___'s a real pain in the ass though. Like a magnet for trouble."  
"What? Excuse you, nothing has happened in a month." You scoff.  
"Yeah but the moment you decide to go somewhere, look what happens. And that day you decided to take Sakusa on a date-"  
"That wasn't a date we were just hanging out!"  
"Yeah in some secluded area… And we only ended up in Inari because Kita came to see you."  
"Holy shit…. I'm cursed."  
"Ex- wait, what? No. I didn't say that."   
"But you did. I am a factor in all of these scenarios." You gasp. "I'm so sorry Mika."  
"Don't be… This is… Kind of fun." She smiles.  
"... You're too cute…" You sigh covering your eyes.  
"And I don't know about Inari, but everything you've been involved with ended good right? So maybe thank yourself for that too." She suggests lightly.  
"Hm?" You peer from behind your hand at her in surprise.  
"That's right. Everything worked out." Atsumu pats your back.   
"... I miss Osamu again." You murmur as you focus on your food. He frowns at that before looking away.  
"Yeah? Well I miss…. Sakusa." He lies in annoyance.  
"Me too! Those dark judging eyes, the crease between his eyebrows when he glares at you… My precious cactus." You tear up slightly while Atsumu gives you a look.  
"Aw. I want to meet him now." Mika comments.  
"Oh! You should! We should totally hang out when we get back!" You gasp, grabbing her hand in excitement. She blinks and grins.  
"Shopping!" You both chime.   
"I don't know what's going on. But I'll have you know this island doesn't permit this level of cute that's going on here." Daishou says as he returns.  
"We're making plans for after we get back." Mika tells him.  
"Ooo we should go to a fair too." You breathe.  
"I love cotton candy!" She giggles.  
"Right? It's the best thing ever." You grin. Daishou looks between you two before chuckling a bit.  
"Gotta get off this island first you two." He says lightly.   
"Hibarida is swimming up!" Yamaguchi calls. You get up and run to the indicated beach with the others. You pause as you watch the pro reach the shore. The way he stood up, the way his skin looked all seemed off.  
"Ah, welcome back! We were starting to worry-" Mika moves to greet him but Daishou and you hold out an arm in front of her.  
"Atsumu. You're the final defense." Daishou breathes.  
"Wait… Are you two serious?" Atsumu huffs uneasily.  
"What? What's going on?" Mika asks, lost.  
"Damn villains…" Hibarida straightens, heavily bloodshot eyes glaring at the group. "You won't get away with this injustice." You instinctively touch the sand, hand sweeping out to burst the beach in front of you. Daishou shoots Atsumu a look that prompts the other to get the others away from the area. A burst of wind scatters the particles and before you knew it Hibarida is in front of Daishou.   
'Shit.' You think, reaching for Daishou but he takes his snake form as he's buffeted backwards. You blink, silently scolding yourself as you flip to the side before Hibarida can blast you back with a gust. You sweep your hand out, bursting another layer of the beach before diving into the particle cloud and landing a punch to the pro's jaw- which was like punching a rock.   
He simply grabs your wrist and tosses you away as the cloud clears. You hit the water and swiftly get back up as he turns to you, something seemed to be weakening him. He pulls back his arm to swing another gust at you but the large snake he had sent off launches out of the trees, coiling around his arm and torso, effectively halting the attack.   
You swiftly charge the pro, as he struggles to rip Daishou off. He growls and bites the snake's soft scales, making Daishou loosen his grip. Hibarida slings the snake into you and you swiftly touch the sand to send up another layer before moving away with Daishou, hiding behind a rock as he changes back.  
"The bastard bit me! Who the hell does that?" He gasps, touching his stomach.  
"... Well this is awkward." You comment looking away and making him pause, almost smiling as pink comes to his cheeks.  
"Not. Now ___." He breathes avoiding your gaze. You chuckle and peek over the rock as the pro swings, blasting you back. Daishou swiftly catches you, diving into the water and circling the beach. You shake your head, squeezing your eyes shut briefly before you reach shore again. You lift out of the water carefully, exchanging a glance with Daishou before sweeping your arm out to send up another cloud before you both separate and rush him.   
A gust rips open the cloud beside you and you dive at his feet, bursting the ground beneath him and making him lose balance. Daishou collides into his side, wrapping around him as he takes snake form again. Hibarida falls forward and you spot a metal device attached to his neck. You pause and Daishou lets out a pained hiss as Hibarida forces his arms open, stressing Daishou's snake body.   
"Daishou let go!" You gasp as a tear opens up. He does so, jumping back and holding his arm as blood seeps from the rip in his skin. Hibarida turns to and before you're sent flying through the air you burst the beach again, hiding Daishou from sight.  
You tumble through the air, starting to straighten out when a pair of talons catch your arms. You pause, familiar wings catching your eye. "Bokuto!" You gasp looking up at the owl with a grin. Akaashi peeks over his shoulder at you. "And Akaashi!... But listen! I need to get back to the beach now! Please hurry." You tell them.   
Bokuto releases a hoot and glides for the beach as Hibarida clears the cloud, knocking Daishou back. Hibarida catches sight of the owl and turns to send another gust at you, but Daishou wraps around his arms.   
"Throw me at him!" You gasp, kicking your feet out anxiously. Bokuto tosses you at the two and you hit your feet on Hibarida's chest, reaching behind his neck and bursting the device as he gives a shout that sends you back into the sky. Bokuto drops off Akaashi and changes forms before bursting after you, catching you in his arms.  
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" He beams happily at you.  
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" You return the greeting, throwing your arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. He sighs happily, hugging you tight as he lands with you. You smile and pause, pulling away to go to Daishou. "You okay? Your arm…" You gasp.  
"I'm good. Just glad he stopped." He breathes as he peers at Hibarida who was now unconscious.  
"I brought a first aid kit. I'll treat you." Akaashi tells him getting started.   
"Where did you guys pop up from?" Daichou asks.  
"Raizu. We've been flying back and forth along the flight path looking for your plane. We came across your canoe, they explained the situation. Looks like we were just in time." Akaashi comments glancing at Hibarida. "Why were you fighting a pro though?"  
"Not sure. He went to fight the villains that put us here, and came back with something on his neck and attacked us." You frown going over and pausing, bursting the pro's shirt to find a heavy swelling on his side, veins darkened around it. "What…"  
"... That looks like venom." Daishou says and you meet his gaze. "They probably anticipated that we would get that thing on his neck. And…" He frowns as your heart drops.  
"... It looks like he barely has twenty minutes." Akaashi breathes. You look down at the man and bite your lip.  
"___! Daishou!" Mika calls running onto the beach. "Look there!" She points to the horizon. You and Daishou look over at the large ship and pause.  
"So that's their main base." You comment standing up. "Good. Bokuto, give me a lift. I'd like to ask them about the anti-venom." You breathe, right hand curling into a fist. He stiffens a bit at your tone.  
"Ah… Sure…" He nods.  
"Whoa. What are you two doing here?" Atsumu gasps reaching the beach as well.  
"Now's not the time for a reunion it seems." Akaashi tells him. Daishou stands up, frowning at you.  
"You shouldn't go in there alone." He says.  
"Sorry Dai-chan. But I can't do a lot of damage if I'm worried about endangering people I care about." You respond seriously. He blinks and shifts, before he hardens his gaze.  
"Then as your future boss I order you to come back safe and sound after you do what you need to." He tells. You pause, eyes widening.   
"Oh." You put a knuckle to your lips.  
"What?" He raises an eyebrow.  
"I just got chills you're going to be great at this…" You marvel, making him blink and smirk, holding his fist out to you.  
"Go get that anti-venom." He breathes. You nod and Bokuto picks you up, taking flight for the ship.   
"After we get back I want to go on a date." Bokuto says suddenly.   
"Oh yeah? With who?"  
"You!"  
"Oh… Okay, but just so you know Osamu was first."  
"Fine. But he better hurry up." He scoffs as he nears the ship, landing on it with you.   
"Alright. Thanks Bokuto, go wait with the others, I'm sure you'll be able to catch me if things go bad." You tell him. He nods, opening his wings and getting sweeped off. You crouch and make a hole in the ship, hopping down into the ship.   
"What the hell?! B-Boss!" One of the villains call, rushing out. Some of the others make a move to attack but you dodge them, bursting their weapons and armor. They swiftly back off at that.  
"Ohh, the one with the burst quirk came to play." A chubby guy says being followed in by some villains. "Did you like your gift? How is Hibarida doing?" He smiles.   
"He'll do a lot better if you hand over the anti-venom." You respond.  
"Oh sure." He tosses you a vial. You peer at it carefully, eyes narrowing.  
"I don't have time for games." You glare at him.  
"Hm? What do you mean? That's your anti-venom." He snickers a bit.   
"It's a subtle difference but it's a difference I know well enough. This is just venom, you sick bastard." You snarl throwing the vial at his feet. "Give me the fucking anti-venom!" You snap.   
"Would if I could." He shrugs unphased. "But we don't have one." His words make your blood boil. This guy.  
"Alright then. Go meet the infinite." You breathe, right arm starting to raise as the particles start to drift off of it. Now he seemed to realize the situation and shifts.  
"D-Dont be stupid. You'll kill us all." He points out. Your lips start to lift up slightly at that.   
"___! I'm home!" A familiar chime makes you freeze, knocking your mind from it's dark thoughts. A pair of arms wrap around you, clipping something around you. Tendo peers at your stunned face with a cute smile. "We've been looking for you." He kisses your nose.  
"Wh-"  
"What are you doing seer?" The boss demands.  
"We're leaving, we have what we came for! Thanks Dante!" Tendo chimes holding up a small trigger device and pressing the button as someone slips something into your left hand. You blink and look over to find Sakusa. He gives a nod and puts a gas mask over your mouth as gas spews out of the corners of the room, the floor melts beneath you three and you go through two other floors before you're out of the ship. Tendo laughs as you fall. Sakusa keeps a grip on your wrist, looking at the ship as sparks start to burst out of the metal panels.  
"Tendo!" Sakusa manages.  
"Wait for it…. Wait for it…." Tendo hums, an eye starting to glow. "Now!" He chimes and they open their parachutes. The harness Tendo had snuck around you earlier keeps you from falling as the parachute stops the drop. You relax a bit, looking back at the large ship as it starts to go down, large plumes of smoke leaving it.  
"... What the hell guys?" You question.  
"Surprise!" Tendo chimes.  
"It's a long confusing story." Sakusa tells you. "And Tendo will happily tell you all about… Later… Are you okay?"   
"Yeah… I feel pretty gross though." You look at the syringe in your hand. "Is this..?"   
"Yep! Go get him ___!" Tendo chuckles, suddenly unhooking you and making you fall. You cry out in surprise but Bokuto catches you, flying back for the shore.  
"Was that Tendo and Sakusa??" He huffs, glancing over his shoulder.  
"Yeah, don't ask because I really don't know." You sigh focusing on Hibarida when you land. You swiftly go to him, passing the syringe to Mika so she can inject it.   
"Alright… All that's left is to wait…" She murmurs. You sigh and fall back on your butt, facing the waves as Bokuto flies to retrieve Tendo and Sakusa.   
"You okay?" Atsumu asks softly.  
"I don't know yet." You glance at the pro.   
"Well, you got back faster than expected. All in one piece, so good job." Daishou says sitting beside you and patting your head.  
"Thanks boss." You smile a bit.  
"... So what's with the boss thing?" Atsumu questions, "You leaving us?"  
"Nope. I just made a pact with Daishou." You hum.  
"Pact sounds serious. How about a 'deal' instead?" Daishou tilts his head.  
"Deal is good." You nod.  
"... I'm so lost- What the heck? Why is the cactus here?!" Atsumu gasps. You blink back and get up as Bokuto lands with Tendo and Sakusa. You run over and give them both a proper hug.   
"As long as you promise to explain later, I won't question you… Because I am so happy to see you guys." You tell them. "I've really missed you." You murmur looking down.  
"Aww you love us!" Tendo teases hugging you tightly.  
"O-Of course I do. Dummy." You grumble hugging him back with a blush.  
"Aww Sakusa did ya hear that? ___ loves you!" Tendo chuckles making you hide your face and Sakusa turns pink.  
"Shut up." Sakusa sighs.   
"So all these guys came here for you? Someone sure is popular." Daishou comments making you pull away from Tendo.  
"I'm just lucky. Oh right. Where Osamu?" You look at Akaashi.  
"I'm sure the others will be arriving soon. I sent out the coordinates before we came back into the blackout zone." He smiles a bit.  
"So we're saved?" Mika breathes.  
"Yep." There's a defining crash after you get the word out and look back to find the ship had finally hit the water. "Totally safe now. And if any of those villains swim up this way, they get to deal with us. Right boss?"  
"Of course. We'll repay them for their kindness." Daishou chuckles.  
As expected some villains wash up on shore and Akaashi immediately handcuffs them. Only an hour passes before a large ship comes to the bay. You and Atsumu pause as a large blue fireball bursts off of the ship, coming over the water at the group. You gasp in realization and moving in front of the group, starting to grin as the giant fox reaches the beach.  
"Osamu~!" You chime. He rushes you, flames lifting off as he pulls you into a deep kiss.  
"Oi!" Atsumu, Sakusa, Akaashi, and Bokuto object to that.  
"I am so happy to see you." Osamu smiles softly cupping your face. He pecks your lips before glaring at Atsumu. "You. You reckless, clingy, asshole. What were you thinking?" He growls, flames flickering over his shoulders, making everyone move away from Atsumu. "Selfish, foul-mouthed pig! Do you have any idea how stressed I've been!?" He grips his brother's shoulders. "I thought I lost you both again!" He shouts, claws digging into Atsumu's shoulders. "Never do this shit without me again!"  
"Oh." Tendo blinks while Atsumu meets his twin's gaze.   
"Well I would've but I barely fit in that damn duffle bag with that box." Atsumu says. Osamu pauses and looks back at you.  
"I'm getting you a bigger bag." He states.  
"That's okay Samu. I don't think I'll be flying for a while." You smile waving your hand.   
"Anyway. Whatcha doing? Coming in here and kissing ___ huh? The heck was that?" Atsumu huffs in annoyance.  
"So you're not even worried that you're bleeding.?" Tendo hums.  
"Ouch! What the heck bro?" Atsumu gasps when Osamu releases him.   
"Just be happy I didn't bite your head. Because I was going to if ___ hadn't given me such a cute greeting." Osamu tells him.   
"Your friends all seem happy to see you." Mika giggles to you.  
"Heh I'm happy to see them." You chuckle. "Feels like home here suddenly." You breathe. She blinks at you and smiles, hugging you.   
"That's sweet." She murmurs. "I'm glad you're safe. And thanks for helping Daishou." She kisses your cheek and you blush.  
"I-I was just repaying him for saving me. Still don't think I have…" You stammer sheepishly.   
"That's okay. You'll have plenty of chances later." She smiles as she pulls away.  
"Right. I'll do my…" You pause as chains wrap around you before you're suddenly pulled clear over the water and onto a raft.   
"___! I'm so glad you're alive!" Oikawa cuddles your cheek with teary eyes.   
"Oikawa let go of ___, your chains are tightening too much." Iwaizumi hits him and you're freed.  
"Hey ___ did you have fun?" Kuroo asks, hugging you now.  
"Kinda. But I've had enough of the island getaway." You chuckle when he lets you go.  
"I bet." He laughs.  
"___!" Nishinoya and Ryuu cry, pouncing on you and hugging you tightly.   
"Sorry I didn't mean for everyone to worry." You hug them just as tightly, Nishinoya kissing your cheek.  
"We weren't worried until your plane went missing." Nishinoya responds.   
"We're glad you're safe." Kenma breathes, touching your hand.  
"I'm glad you guys came to get us. Oh Kuroo, you know Daishou?" You ask.  
"Eh? How do you know that name?" Kuroo blinks in surprise and you just smile, peering over as the raft reaches the shore.  
"Ah… Even you came, Kuroo?" Daishou huffs trying to hide his displeasure.  
"Daishou, and Mika, always good to see you." Kuroo smiles. "Thanks for watching out for my kohai."  
"No problem. ___ is nothing like you, so it was entirely my pleasure." Daishou hums, patting your head as everyone starts to board the raft, Kuguri and Hiro helping Hibarida on board.  
"___, Daishou…" The pro manages. "I'm-"  
"Going to send us flying again?" You smile. "Because I would like that but you seem kinda weak right now."  
"Yeah don't think we'll see that much sky in a while." Daishou jokes lightly. Hibarida blinks at you both.  
"We'll forgive you when we see you fighting crime again, alive and well." You smile.  
"And ___ wants to take Mika to the fair sometime, so you can pay for the tickets." Daishou rumbles. The pro looks between you two before smiling tiredly.  
"Understood." He breathes.   
"... Sounds like you have quite the story." Iwaizumi comments.  
"Heh I'll tell you guys all about it… Did Tera and the others get back?" You ask.  
"We're here." Tera calls.   
"Good. Let's go home." Daishou says.   
"You guys don't have to worry about me. My home is here." You smile, looking at your friends. They tense, Tendo and Oikawa say 'awww' before tackle hugging you.   
"___!" Some of the others gasp, also hugging you.  
"Aww that was so sweet." Mika breathes, wedging herself in to hug you too.  
"... There's too much cute going on. You're breaking the law again ___, Mika." Daishou warns.  
"Haha sorry boss."

You stare out at the darkening waves as the ship steadily heads for land. Everyone else was inside chatting over dinner happily.   
"You're not tired of this view yet?" Sakusa asks, leaning on the railing and looking out.  
"Not really. It's different every night." You hum.   
"That so?" He breathes.  
"Yeah… How was the airship though? Tendo said you guys did sleep there." You comment.  
"It was cramped, smelt weird… But the view from up there was nice… The only thing that wasn't awful about that whole ordeal." He grumbles.  
"Heh… I'm surprised you even went along with it." You murmur shifting closer to him.   
"Normally I wouldn't. But he seemed so… Experienced. I guess I was also curious about your best friend." He says.   
"Oh? What did you find out?" You lean on the railing peering at his face.   
"... He's terrifyingly amazing." Sakusa says meeting your gaze. "I understand a bit more now."   
"Good." You smile, watching him thoughtfully.  
"What? Why are you staring…?" He huffs.  
"I'm just enjoying the view… I've missed you… So damn much." You straighten up and kiss his cheek, making him pause.  
"... Idiot. You know you can't do that casually." He sighs, moving away a bit to give you a scolding frown.  
"Yeah. But… It's always worth it." You respond, body tensing slightly as you lose mobility. He watches you for a moment putting on a glove to cup your cheek.  
"I'm glad you're safe… I may have been a bit overjoyed when you burst your way onto the ship like a reckless, hell bent fool." He smiles a tiny bit. "Well, 'like a hero' is a better description."   
"Nah the fool part describes it best. I was not thinking things through…" You huff, making him blink in surprise.  
"That's… Wearing off fast now…" He comments.  
"Maybe I'm becoming immune." You smile. "Soon I'll be able to do a lot more."  
"Don't. That's a bad idea-" You lean up, lips nearly touching his, making him freeze.  
"Always is a bad idea. But still…" You meet his gaze. He sighs and presses his forehead to yours, pushing your face back a bit.  
"You're getting worse…" He pulls away putting a hand over his mouth. "Give me a bit more time.." He adds looking to the side.   
"Alright. Sorry for being too much…" You rub your neck sheepishly.   
"That's never been a problem… Excuse me." He breathes before wandering off. You smile a bit and sit on the railing.   
"I can't wait to sleep in my bed…"


	20. Unraveling

"I have never been happier to shower!" You gasp as you come out.  
"It's been a week and you keep saying that…" Atsumu comments.   
"I wish you'd be as enthusiastic about showering." Osamu mutters, causing a fight with his brother. You smile watching them wrestle. It has been a week, but a fast one, the island life still stuck in the back of your mind. You haven't seen anyone from the island since then, but you were keeping in contact with Daishou and Mika.  
"Hey ___, let's go on a date." Oikawa hums in the doorway, making the twin fight stop.  
"Get in line." Osamu tells him.  
"But I'll be an old guy by the time you take ___ on a date." Oikawa complains.   
"... Alright ___, we're going somewhere today." Osamu tells you, a light blush coming to his cheeks.   
"Don't feel rushed Samu. I'm fine with waiting." You smile.  
"I know. But this week seems like a good one… They should all be doing their thing at least…" He trails off in thought and walks out.  
"And now his mind is on food." Atsumu shakes his head.   
"He's so cute." You smile after him. Atsumu frowns, giving you a look. "Jealousy looks good on you Atsumu."  
"I feel like you enjoy this too much." He sighs.  
"I know I do." Oikawa smirks.   
"Did you want something else, dorm president?" You ask. He pauses looking at you before smiling and opening his arms inviting you to hug him. He's been doing this a lot lately.  
"Oikawa, Iwaizumi is looking for you, mentioned the cleaning schedule…" Sakusa says in the doorway.  
"... Hide me." Oikawa whispers to you.  
"... IWAIZUMI!" Atsumu calls making Oikawa go to the window.  
"I will remember this." Oikawa hisses before opening the window and jumping out.  
"... I used to be afraid of that guy." You marvel.   
"Simple times…" Sakusa comments. Atsumu glances between you two and goes to the window.  
"I'll just… See you." He coughs awkwardly before jumping out too.   
"... Has it become that obvious?" Sakusa rubs his neck looking down.  
"They think we're fighting." You sigh.   
"... Oh, I see… We're not. Right?" He peers at you.  
"No. We just set boundaries since I keep nearly crossing the line." You remind him. "I think it's working at least."  
"That's good. Can I come closer or are you going to try and pounce on me?" He teases lightly.  
"... A little bit closer." You breathe. He comes within a foot of you, watching you with some amusement.  
"This wouldn't be so bad if you'd just stop thinking about it." He says. You glance at him and frown lightly. He made it sound so easy, but it's not like he could possibly understand how he affected you.   
"Right." You huff looking away. His brows knit together at the response, and he tilts his head.  
"You know it's impossible for us to be like that ___… So stop." He states, becoming a bit cold before going out. A stab to the heart is what those words were.   
"I will!" You snap after him. You swallow down a lump and shake off your frustration before getting changed into something cuter and heading down to the kitchen where Osamu was packing a picnic basket.   
"Hey. You okay? I heard you yell…" He peers at you.   
"I'm fine." You murmur giving a small smile. He looks you over before giving a small nod.   
"Alright then." He breathes. "You look cute, are you ready to go?" He asks. You smile at the praise and nod. He comes around the counter with the picnic basket, taking your hand and heading out with you. His hand is a bit sweaty, you peer at his face to find his lips pressed in a straight line.  
"Are you nervous?" You murmur. He blushes lightly, looking ahead.  
"I am now…" He mutters.  
"You're making me nervous now." You tell him. He blinks and peers at you and relaxing with a chuckle.  
"Sorry." He breathes.  
"That's okay. You're just being really cute today." You smile.   
He smiles in return, guiding you to the train station. It was a bit packed today, so you stand, holding onto a hand railing. Osamu holds you from behind, chin resting on your shoulder. You smile a bit, glancing at him a few times before kissing his cheek and making him pause in surprise. He meets your gaze and smiles a bit, hugging you warmly.  
"I hope you like this place, I've been thinking about it for a while now." He says lightly.  
"Really? Aren't you a careful planner." You tease lightly.  
"Actually I was just hesitant. It's not very flashy or anything…" He glances to the side.  
"I see… But you know. Just spending alone time with you sounds fun on its own." You cuddle his cheek affectionately. He chuckled a bit, kissing your cheek in response.  
"That's why I like you." He breathes. "So bright and optimistic."  
"Heh. You're so sweet Osamu." You hum.   
It actually takes two hours before you reach the stop. Osamu shifts slightly as he leads you off nervously. You pause, the valley was covered in a beautiful variety of flowers. Osamu watches your face carefully.   
"It's so pretty!" You gasp taking out your new phone (since the other one is at the bottom of the ocean some where… You have terrible phone luck). "Pictures!" You start to take pictures cheerfully.   
"That's the reaction I was hoping for." Osamu smiles and you pause to take a picture of him.   
"So cute. We're going to have so many awesome pictures!" You chime. Osamu chuckles and you both tour the flower fields together taking pictures here and there before he sets up the picnic for you.   
"I'm glad this is going so well. I half expected something to interrupt us." He murmurs as you join him.  
"Yeah. Atsumu did say I was cursed." You sigh.   
"I'll kick his ass later." Osamu frowns.  
"He's right though." You lean on him. He blinks, glancing at you before opening the picnic basket.  
"I don't agree but. I think if it hadn't been for everything we've been through, I don't think we would all be as close as we are. And according to FireCrow, we may be the strongest first year class this country has seen in a while… It all has an upside too." He takes out some food, sending you a smile.  
"Right. Everything is alright." You smile back.

*Meanwhile*

Tendo hums as he checks his phone, going through an alley. "Oh ___… You look so cute on your flower date." He messages you after receiving the pictures, a pungent rot smell suddenly surrounding him. "Don't you think so too Kobalt?" He shows a picture to blue haired man that stood behind him.  
"Yer friend is cute alright… You the one that's supposed to be paying me?" Death tilts his head, red eyes peering at him carefully.  
"Yes. My father has a gift for me. But the prison makes it impossible for him to send it to me." Tendo turns, handing him a wooden box. "Midnight insists this gets done tonight. He has important plans that he wants to see flourish."   
"I'm yer man then. Ya tell that black and purple baddy that I'll get yer lil gift from ya pop." Death takes the box and smiles a bit. "See ya later." He departs, hopping back down in the manhole he had came out of, black water moving the lid back into place. Tendo coughs, spraying himself with cologne before continuing on.   
"The infinite sure is getting closer now." He breathes, smiling to himself as one of his eyes start to glow. "Such beauty…" 

*

"We should start heading back." Osamu says after your third trip around the field after lunch.   
"Okay… One more picture though." You smile, pulling him closer and kissing his cheek as you take the final picture.  
"I want all of those pictures by the way." Osamu chuckles sheepishly.  
"I'll send them to you." You grin as you both walk back to the train station. "Thanks for this, it was fun." You hum.  
"Next time I'll have to find a place with more going on." He says in thought.  
"Heh next time huh? Not bored of me yet?" You joke.   
"What? No, I'm just getting started." He kisses the back of your hand as you get a seat together.   
"Oh? Can't wait to see what else you have in mind." You smile, leaning on him.   
"... My mind just went blank so.. Give me a moment." He manages rubbing his cheek.  
"Hm? Oh! Daishou! It's ___ and Atsumu!" A familiar voice gasps and you look over as Mika sits beside you, throwing her arms around you. "I missed you!"  
"Mika!" You chime hugging her back.   
"What luck running into you two again…" Daishou greets, pausing as he looks at Osamu. "Mika this is Atsumu's brother.."  
"Oh! Sorry about that Osamu." Mika apologizes sheepishly.   
"I'm used to it. What are you two up to?" Osamu asks.  
"Daishou is escorting me home. I was visiting my family earlier." Mika smiles.   
"I hate it when she takes the train alone so I came along." Daishou says lightly.  
"Dai-chan is so sweet." You tease.  
"He really is." Mika giggles and he sighs looking away with a blush.  
"So good to see you again, ___." Daishou breathes.   
"Good to see you too boss." You chuckle. The four of you chat for about twenty minutes before a tremor shakes the train. You and Daishou look at each other before the train lurches and you grab him before he can fall.  
"Mika!" You both say and she quickly hugs you, forcefield coming out just before the train jerks off of the tracks, falling onto it's side. You and Daishou get up as cries of panic sound.  
"Let's go." Daishou breathes.  
"Right." You burst the top of the train, getting out and rushing with Daishou and Osamu to the front of the train where a giant villain was rampaging.  
"The guy's actually drooling." Osamu comments.   
"He needs to take a nap." You hum, taking off your glove and you leaning down and bursting the ground under one of the villain's feet. He stumbles and Daishou and Osamu charge him, colliding into his chest. Daishou wraps around his neck while Osamu causes the villain to trip.  
You smile a bit, compared to the villain's you've encountered, this guy seemed easy. Daishou's grip knocks him out soon enough and you move to help the passengers. The pros reach the area after a while, thanking you three for the help.  
"Still a while before we reach home." You comment. " But. I think we could walk to Kita's from here. You two want to come along?"   
"Sure. Sounds nice." Mika smiles.  
"We always seem to get stranded together huh?" Daishou comments before smiling. "But it keeps things interesting. Lead the way." He pats your head.  
"Yes." You chime starting off.   
"Gonna be a long walk huh… Should've made more food." Osamu comments.  
"Oh that's right, ___ said you're a great cook. Did you two go on a picnic?" Mika peers at the basket.   
"Yeah. I took ___ to the flower fields." Osamu smiles a bit looking down sheepishly.  
"Aww. How cute." She giggles. "Daishou took me there before. But a villain had tore through most of them."  
"It was rotten timing." Daishou sighs.   
"I was worried that would happen to us." Osamu admits.  
"Well it worked out for you it seemed… Until the train part." Daishou chuckles.   
"I didn't mind the train thing. No one was hurt and I feel like it went smoothly." You smile at your hand. Daishou blinks at you at that before smiling a bit.  
"So did they decide a new date for your license test? Since you missed the last one." He inquires.  
"Next week actually. For sure… Unless something else pops up." You joke.  
"Don't jinx us." Osamu pokes your cheek.  
"Sorry." You hum and pause as your phone goes off. "It's your twin." You tell him before putting Atsumu on speaker. "Hey Tsumu."  
'We just saw the news… You guys okay? Do you need Bokuto to come get ya?'  
"Nah. We're all good. Heading to Kita's." You tell him.  
'I wanna see Kita!' Bokuto's voice sounds in the background. 'Im on my way ___!'  
"Okay Bokuto." You laugh in amusement. "He's so cute."   
'Thank you!'  
'Oi! Wait!... Damn… Well you two stay safe. See you in the morning I guess… Sleep well….' Atsumu grumbles. You and Osamu share a look at his tone.  
"So lame bro." Osamu comments.  
"See you in the morning my cute sunshine." You hum before hanging up. "He's not going to be very nice in the morning." You breathe.  
"Definitely going to be grumpy." Osamu nods.  
"We'll have to give him something sweet for an offering." You agree.  
"It's like you're trying to calm a cat or something." Daishou remarks.  
"Pretty much. But more like a fox." You peer at him.   
"Fun."   
It was getting near sunset when you reach Kita's house. You swallow and knock on the door lightly. There's shuffling before his grandma opens the door.  
"The wolf returns." She smiles.  
"Hello again, may we stay for the night? There was a problem with the trains again." You smile.  
"Of course, come on in. Kita will return soon." She tells you.   
"Alright. I'll show you guys to the guest room." You tell the three, leading them to the room. "Blankets and pillows are in that closet." You tell them with a point. They nod and start to prep the room as you return to the main room.   
"You seem to have grown since our last meeting, Wolf." Grandma breathes as you sit with her.  
"I feel like I have…. How have you been?" You ask lightly.  
"I've been well… Kita has been anxious to see you again. He'll be happy to find you here." She hums.  
"That so? I'm glad to hear that. I really need to memorize his number since I keep losing phones." You sigh.  
"You've had another adventure I take it?" She guesses.  
"Yes. A grand one too. Where I met those two new faces you just seen." You smile. "I'll tell you when Kita gets here."  
"I can't wait." She chuckles. You both peer at the door and you get up, going to the door and opening it up as Kita walks up. He blinks and pauses when he sees you.  
"Welcome home." You greet giving a big smile. His eyes widen slightly before he smiles warmly.  
"I'm home." He says giving you a hug. "I thought you were ignoring me."  
"What? Never. I just couldn't get your messages since my phone is at the bottom of the ocean… You been working out?" You pull back, feeling his sides.  
"Sort of." He hums going in. You move to close the door when a feathered bundle crashes into your chest.  
"I made it! Record time too!" Chibi Bokuto chimes. You chuckle and close the door, holding him to your chest.  
"Nice one Bokuto." You hum.   
"Hello again Bokuto." Kita greets.  
"Hi Kita!"   
"So. I was just about to tell Grandma about my latest adventure. You interested?" You ask with a smile.  
"Always. I'll make some tea." He responds. After he makes the tea, he sits with you as you tell the story, Bokuto falling asleep on your lap when you near the end of your tale.   
"Sounds like you had fun despite the circumstances." Grandma comments with a chuckle.  
"Gotta do what you can right? No room for panic." You smile.  
"I'm glad you're back safe and sound. The hero life sure sounds hectic. I hope you're resting when you can." Kita breathes.   
"I am… Mostly." You shrug.   
"Good… Now come. It's time for bed." He says lightly, getting up.  
"Right, goodnight Grandma." You tell her getting up as well.  
"Sleep well." She waves as Kita guides you to his room.   
"Hope you don't mind sharing the bed with me tonight." He breathes as you both go in.   
"Of course not," You tell him, laying Bokuto down on the bed before taking off your jacket.   
"Here, you can borrow these." Kita passes you some clothes. "Bathroom is there." He points. You go in the bathroom and change swiftly, going out and crawling over Bokuto and getting into bed. Kita shifts closer as you settle in.   
"Thanks for always letting us stay." You murmur.   
"You don't need to thank me anymore. It's always nice to have you near." He responds lightly as you face him. He meets your gaze before his fingertips trail over your cheek. He moves even closer, fingers moving to comb through your hair. "To be honest. I'd like to see you even more."   
"I'd like that. Your presence is always so calming." Your eyelids were starting to feel heavy as he combs through your hair soothingly. He hums, watching your face quietly.   
"Am I only calming?" He asks quietly.  
"Mm stunning? Surprising? Reliable? Handsome…" You list off half asleep. He smiles a bit and pecks your lips.  
"Sleep well." He whispers as you drift off. Bokuto yawns, crawling over you and cuddling between you. Kita let's out an amused huff, closing his eyes and soon drifting off as well.

*

"Kobalt! Welcome back!" Tendo greets cheerfully, hanging off of some crates.   
"Can't ya call me Death like everyone else?" The villain sighs. "Where's Midnight?"  
"Plotting of course. Did you bring the gift?" Tendo rests his chin in his hands watching cheerfully.  
"Yes." Death holds up a pill bottles, giving it a light shake. "Dunno why yer dad is gifting pills though."  
"These are special of course. Only my pop can make these." Tendo takes the bottle, looking at the pills within thoughtfully. "Alright Kobalt. The boss's next job." He takes out a pill and hands it to Death before handing him an envelope. "Instructions and money is inside, and you have a partner this time." Tendo points to the side as Dante enters, sending Tendo a wary glare.  
"... Couldn't give me a cute partner eh?" Death sighs, running a hand through his blue hair. "Fine. I'll get the job done." 

*

"Time to wake up." Kita leans over you. Bokuto yawns and cuddles you more as your eyes ease open.   
"Mm." You shake your head giving a sleepy pout. He smiles a bit, leaning down more and pecking your lips, making you wake up and blush.   
"Can't go to sleep now can you? Come on, Osamu is making breakfast." He chuckles heading back out.   
"Samu food." You and Bokuto murmur as you sit up with him. You blink and smile at each other, Bokuto changing into his big form to hug you warmly before getting up and guiding you out to the kitchen.   
"Ah, I see you made it Bokuto." Osamu comments setting the plates down. "You two sleep well."  
"Of course." You and Bokuto say together.  
"It's amazing how in sync you two are in the morning." Osamu chuckles lightly as everyone starts to eat.  
"This is amazing! And it looks so simple." Mika gasps in awe.  
"Told you, Samu is the best cook." You grin.  
"Certainly better than Atsumu." Daishou comments. There's a chuckle at that. After breakfast you say goodbye to Kita and his grandma before heading to the station and riding it back to Raizu.  
"___, let's go to the fair soon." Mika says as you, Bokuto, and Osamu get off.  
"Alright I'm looking forward to it. Bye boss!" You wave as the doors close.  
"So nice to see them again." Bokuto hums as you start for the dorms.  
"Very nice." You beam.  
You all reach the dorms in time to hurry and get ready for class. It was a normal lecture and note day and it felt like it lasted forever.  
"Ahh… I think I fell asleep." Nishinoya yawns.   
"Aren't we supposed to be getting ready for the test?" Ryuu huffs.  
"They think we're good enough to pass it already." Sakusa comments.  
"We are." You hum. "We're just facing the remaining schools now, shouldn't be too difficult."  
"Don't underestimate people you don't know." Sakusa warns. "You should know better than that too."  
"Too?" You echo, brow furrowing. The others glance at you two uneasily.   
"You seem to be forgetting about a lot lately. You're being overconfident." Sakusa states.   
"Forgetting about a lot lately? What exactly have I forgotten Sakusa?" You question.  
"You already know that answer." He breathes and you stop walking. He slows to a stop as well. "Just because we've been through a lot since we got here doesn't mean you're invincible now."   
"You're not talking about fighting now." You point out. He turns back to you, the others moving away quickly.  
"I'll speak plainly then. Stop moving without thinking about the consequences before you get yourself killed." He tells you.  
"Tch… It's always consequences with you." You scoff. "Would it really be that bad for you to do something without thinking of consequences?"  
"Yes!" He snaps. "That's why I think first! The consequences are never worth some short lived happiness."   
"Short lived…" Your eyes narrow and he pauses.   
"You're so damn stubborn." He huffs stalking for the dorms and going inside. You groan and cover your eyes, bringing up your right hand as your glove bursts. You drop your hands and sigh, looking at the sky.   
"I'm really digging a hole now…" You murmur. You didn't want to back down this time though, and you weren't sure why. You go inside and rub your cheek as Nishinoya peeks around the corner at you.  
"You okay?" He asks when you meet his gaze. You offer a smile, setting your bag down.  
"Want to make cookies with me?" You ask.   
"Yes." He smiles and follows you into the kitchen.   
You were just trying to stay calm and distract yourself at this point. After the batch of cookies is finished, the cooks for dinner come in to take over the kitchen and you both move to the dining room, joining Oikawa and Iwaizumi at the table to watch the television they had moved to the dining room.  
"You okay?" Iwaizumi asks, glancing at you.  
"Why do I keep getting asked that?" You sigh.   
"Never seen you and Sakusa argue so much. Everyone is bothered by it." Oikawa answers for him.   
"Sorry." You frown. "I just don't feel like backing down this time. He's not listening." You grumble.  
"Ah… So it's going to get worse." Nishinoya hums.   
"Before it gets better." Iwaizumi adds quickly, patting your back. You just sigh and close your eyes.  
"He might end up hating me." You murmur.  
"I don't think so. I think you're underestimating Sakusa there." Nishinoya hums leaning on you.  
"Maybe." You open your eyes and focus on the television.  
Dinner is finished and everyone gathers in the dining hall to eat. Sakusa, sitting away from you. The food didn't taste very good today, and for some reason you were feeling annoyance building.   
"So… ___ did you have fun yesterday?" Oikawa asks trying to push back the tense air that was forming around you.  
"Mhm. Lots of fun." You smile. "Osamu is so thoughtful."  
"Osamu is a good choice for you." Sakusa comments, making some of the others tense.   
"Oh really? What makes you say that?" You ask, lightly stabbing at a piece of meat on your plate.  
"He's kind, a good cook, thoughtful… And he can hug you without worry." He points out lightly.  
"Um… Thanks." Osamu manages, glancing between you two. Nishinoya and Ryuu were starting to sink down in their seats like something was about to blow.   
"And you can't?" You breathe.  
"You know I can't. So knock it off." Sakusa says bluntly.  
"I haven't even done anything yet! Don't ya think you're being a bit too cautious?" You snap, glove bursting along with the utensil you had been using.  
"Not at all with how reckless you are. And don't you think you're being a bit too sensitive about this?" He retorts.  
"Too sensitive? You're the one that keeps bringing it up? Are you trying to upset me?" Your finger taps on the table in agitation.  
"I'm not. Just making things clear." He scoffs getting up and going out. An awkward and tense silence fills the dining hall at that. You burst the plate of food before getting up.  
"_-___…" Nishinoya manages carefully.  
"I'm going to the course. Don't bother me." You tell them before going out.  
"... I miss it when they were best friends." Nishinoya pouts.   
"Honestly. Me too." Atsumu huffs.   
You may have destroyed the course in under ten minutes, but it didn't make you feel any better. You pant, trying to calm yourself as you grip your right arm, it kept threatening to burst now.   
"You really did a number on the course. I think it's time for you to calm down." A touch on your back makes you completely relax and you look back to find Takeda.  
"Sensei. Sorry." You breathe straightening.   
"That's okay, I'm just glad you came here instead of destroying your dorm. But what has you so upset?" He smiles lightly.  
"I uh… I don't think it's something you'd want to know about." You admit awkwardly.  
"Oh.. Love huh?" He chuckles.  
"Or not? He's not really giving me a chance because he's afraid or something." You sigh tilting your head.  
"I see. You're right. It's not something I really want to get involved with. But I'll say this, if you can work this out, your chances will become stronger." He breathes.  
"Right." You nod and smile a bit. "Working stuff out is a pain though… But it'll be worth it. I don't like fighting with him."   
"Good. As long as-" There's a trimmer that shakes the area and you both pause, sharing a glance before running out. Smoke reaches out of the dorm and you pale. "Another attack! I'm sounding the alarm!" Takeda says, breaking away as you run for the dorm. It looked like fights were breaking out all over. A familiar black floating water leaves Sakusa's window, dropping him onto the ground where a familiar chubby guy moves to pick him up. Your pupils shrink and you launch yourself at Dante, hand reaching for his face.   
Dante senses you and instinctively jumps back. "What do you think you're doing with Sakusa?" You growl, particles dancing around your arm.   
"Shit… Death!" He shouts uneasily. You glance up at the window as a glob of black water reaches for you. Your arm moves, bursting it easily.   
"Ohh… Das not good." Death peeks off the roof in surprise. "Dat one looks mighty pissed Dante. Use yer quirk already. The boss wants that one." He calls, pointing to Sakusa.  
"Right." Dante manages, pointing at you, something pierces your shoulder and you since, glancing down at the bullet sized hole.   
"My turn." You breathe, raising your arm. His eyes widen and he leaps out of the way, a tree behind him getting burst.   
"Friggin useless." Death sighs, black water creeping toward you from behind but a pressure makes the water stop.   
"Not this time." Daichi says, stepping out of the building and looking up at him with a frown.  
"Should've brought some stronger guys." Oikawa hums behind him, daggers pointed at his back.  
"Ya kids are as tough as Midnight said…" Death chuckles. "Alright. Time to go." He dives off the building at Dante, turning into a large glob of the rancid black water and sweeping away into a nearby manhole.   
"Damn! Kenma, can you see them?" Kuroo calls running to the hole.  
"No. I can't see that Death guy even when he's not water." Kenma responds.  
"I threw a tracker at him but that water destroyed it." Akaashi frowns.  
"Is Sakusa okay?" Nishinoya asks you.  
"He's breathing." You answer, looking Sakusa over. "They wanted him for something so I think he'll be alright." You add. Sakusa stirs and you blink down at him, carefully touching his cheek as his dark eyes ease open. "Hey… How do you feel?" You whisper.  
"I… Who are you….?"


	21. Surprise

"The doctors aren't sure what caused the amnesia." Takeda breathes. "But we think it was a part of the attempted kidnapping."   
"They probably wanted to convert him to a villain since he wouldn't be able to remember that he's a hero' trainee." Iwaizumi breathes.  
"It's a good thing ___ stopped them." Atsumu pauses after speaking, some of them peering back at you.   
"If that's the reason. I'll stay with him for the time being." You murmur.  
"Are you sure ___?" Nishinoya asks.  
"Yeah… Nothing else we can do besides what we can. Right?" You wanted to offer a smile, but one didn't come to your lips.  
"R-Right…" He looks down with a small frown.   
"So you guys head back to the dorms, I'll be fine here. I'll call if anything changes." You breathe standing up and heading to the hospital room where Sakusa was. They watch you go before exchanging lost looks.   
"You heard ___, waiting here won't do any good." Kuroo turns away, "We'll take turns relieving ___ of guard duty for the time being." He adds before heading out.  
"Damn villains…" Ryuu sighs as everyone follows.  
You peek in as Sakusa shifts uneasily, looking around the room before pausing as he spots you. "Hello again." You offer a tiny smile as you enter the room and close the door behind you. He blinks at you, glancing at the door.  
"Hello…" He greets.   
"Can I sit there?" You point at the chair next to the bed. He peers at it before giving a nod.  
"You know me?" He asks lightly. You nod as you take a seat and meet his gaze.  
"Yeah. I've known you since we were this big." You level your hand with the floor just below your chest.   
"... That's a lot of time to forget…" He murmur looking down. "Are we… Family?"   
"No. I'm a friend. I tried contacting your family, but I could only get a hold of your cousin. He'll be here in the morning." You tell him.  
"What time is it?" He looks to the window.  
"Maybe midnight? Yeah, going on one in the morning." You answer, checking your phone.  
"Midnight…" He echoes, eyes unfocused for a moment. "Are you going to stay all night?" He looks at you.   
"Yeah I am. Is that okay with you? I can go outside if you want." You point a thumb to the door. He shakes his head frowning lightly.  
"No… That's okay… I was just wondering how you were going to sleep." He murmurs.  
"I'm probably not. You may not remember what happened, but I don't think I can sleep tonight after that." You admit. He blinks at you before sitting up more.  
"Then I'll stay up with you. You know me right? Maybe you can help me remember?" He pats the bed in front of himself with a small smile. You watch him for a moment, wanting to cry before standing up and crawling onto the bed to sit across from him.   
"Uh… I'll try." You say softly. "What do you want to know first?"   
"This isnt home… So where do I live?" He tilts his head.  
"Well, right now you live in a dorm with myself and a bunch of others." You smile a bit.  
"We… Live together?" He breathes.  
"Mhm. We're a room apart… Hmm I hope your room is still intact…" You frown lightly putting a knuckle to your chin.  
"What happened to my room?" He asks confused.  
"I'm not sure, I was outside when the dorm was attacked." You admit, messaging Nishinoya to check Sakusa's room.  
"We were attacked? Is that how I lost my memory?"   
"Yes, and I'm not sure about your memory, the doctor said you haven't bumped your head or anything, it's like your memory got erased by a quirk or something." You tilt your head.  
"A quirk huh…" He looks at his hands.   
"You okay?" You ask him.  
"I heard the doctor say that they can't do blood work because of my quirk." He tells you, glancing at the door. "But I don't know what my quirk is…"  
"I do." You purse your lips making him blink at you in surprise. "I know as much as you've told me. Which feels like everything… Do you want to know?"  
"Yes please." He nods and you smile a bit, the politeness and curious gaze was cute.  
"Alright. Let's see…"

*

Midnight paces in the center of the warehouse. "I ONlY ReqUeSteD OnE ThiNG Of YOu." The computer voice in his mask crackles. He stops, adjusting it a bit.  
"Look, I tried. But that bitch-" Dante freezes as a bluish blade comes within a milometer of his left pupil.  
"The one with the burst quirk almost got me… Is what you were about to say right?" Midnight hisses.   
"Y-Yes." Dante manages.  
"Should've left you with the sharks." Midnight pierces his eye before slashing to the side, making Dante scream and fall to his knees, holding his eye. "I want Sakusa. The longer he stays in contact with ___ the less likely we'll be to get him on our side and use him." Midnight tells the group, wiping the blade on his arm. "Bring him to me or bring me a coffin in your size."   
"Yes." They say, swiftly collecting Dante and scurrying away.   
"Ya sure are on edge boss." Death hums.  
"My previous playing cards got ruined and I'm stuck with garbage and one very powerful card." Midnight points to him. "You are that one."  
"Shit. That bad huh? I guess I could contact some friends- well.. Their not friends.. Former partners?" Death tilts his head.  
"How soon?"  
"Two days."  
"Alright. I can't wait to meet them."   
"I'll get yer buddy Midnight. Dontcha worry about it." Death gives a smile before heading out.   
Midnight relaxes, a red glow becoming visible behind the computer image eyeshield. "I will make it happen this time."

*

".... And we're still friends? Even though my quirk…" Sakusa frowns a bit. You blink and take his hand, making him stiffen.  
"Kinda. I'm immune to your sweat now, or becoming immune to it… But we had a bit of a fight before you lost your memory. So… I don't know if you still want to be friends." You frown lightly, fingers tracing his palm.  
"What was the fight about?" He asks and you meet his concerned gaze.  
"Let's… Not have that conversation right now…" You take your hand away. "Any other questions?"  
"... Are you tired?" He inquires.   
"No. If you're tired, you can sleep Sakusa. I'll be here when you wake." You tell him softly.  
"... Promise?" He gives you a slight pout.   
"Heh. Of course." You smile at that, getting off the bed and making him lay down. You move the chair closer to the bed and turn off the light as he settles in.  
"___?"  
"Yeah?"   
"Do you hate me?"  
"No, of course not."   
"... Is it okay if…."  
"Hm?"  
"Could you… Hold my hand for a bit? Just until I fall asleep?" He asks softly, sounding a bit embarrassed. You were stunned, hiding a smile behind your right fist as you take his hand with your left.  
"S-Sure… Do you feel uneasy or something?" You ask.  
"Not anymore." He murmurs. You smile softly, covering him up some more before resting your free arm and chin on the bed, starting to drift off little by little. Your phone starts to buzz and you check it to find Nishinoya was calling you.   
"Hey Noya." You whisper when you answer the phone. He seems to pause for a moment.  
'Did you fall asleep?' He asks lightly.  
"Almost. Sakusa fell asleep though." You murmur peering at his face briefly. "How's his room?"  
'Its fine. But most of his vials are gone.' He answers.  
"Shit… Not the vials… He had the potent ones in there…" You sigh. "Alright. Check the mini fridge. It's where he keeps the antidotes and anti-venom."   
'Okay… Yep, thats all still here.'   
"Alright. Inform the others and sensei, if any of it gets used we'll be able to do something for the victims." You tell him.   
'Okay… How is he doing?'  
"He's okay I think. Starting to relax a bit, but still nervous." You breathe. "Kinda wish we hadn't argued before this. I want so badly to apologize." You tear up slightly.  
'I don't think your fight was bad. You were both trying to say the same thing, but still couldn't agree.' He murmurs.  
"What do you mean?" You blink back the tears.  
'Well. What I got out of that was both of you were saying I love you. But Sakusa was also telling you that he doesn't want to get close and hurt you. And you were basically saying that you didn't care if he did.' He says bluntly. You pause and blush lightly.   
"Ah… I see now." You sigh.  
'I could be wrong though. But I don't think you guys were really mad at each other… Anyway there's no point in worrying about that now if he can't remember.'   
"... Thanks Noya." You smile a bit.  
'No problem. Hm?... Oh, Kuroo says he'll come to switch places with you in the morning.'  
"Alright. I'll be here."   
'Okay… Can I nap with you when you come home?'   
"That sounds really nice. So yes." You chuckle lightly.  
'Yeesss… See you in the morning! I gotta go separate the twins. They're fighting over something of yours.'  
"Wait what?" You ask as he hangs up. "Dammit Miya…" You mutter, putting your phone back in your pocket before peering at Sakusa's face again. You feel your eyes warm and lean over, kissing his forehead. "Sweet dreams Kiyoomi." You whisper before taking your hand away and sitting back in the chair, watching him quietly. You decide to play on your phone for most of the night. Nothing happens really.   
You move to the window as the sun starts to paint the sky as it wakes. You hear Sakusa stir and peer back at him as he rubs his eyes, blinking at you as he sits up. "Good morning." You smile at him. He pauses, staring at you for a moment. "... What? Did you forget me again?" You half joke, heart sinking a bit. He shakes his head swiftly at that, cheeks turning pink.   
"You just… Look really nice with the sunrise…" He manages looking to the side. You look at him dumbfounded, feeling a blush rise to your cheeks.   
"Oh… Uh… Thank you." You breathe looking away with a small smile.  
"Coming in." Kuroo says entering the room and pausing. "Everything okay?" He asks.   
"Yeah. Sakusa this is Kuroo. He's our senpai, and he's come to keep an eye on things for me so I can get some sleep at the dorms." You tell him with a smile.  
"You could've just slept here…" Sakusa grumbles looking to the side again.   
"Heh I know you would prefer ___ here until you're ready to go. But we are also worried about you." Kuroo rumbles. "Look. I brought fruit you like." He sets the basket on the table near Sakusa. "Let me chat with ___ and I'll be right back." He adds, glancing at you. You give a nod and go place a hand on Sakusa's shoulder.  
"I'll be back later okay? Your cousin will be here soon too." You give him a smile.  
"Okay. I'll wait for you." He nods. You pause and smile a bit more before walking out with Kuroo.  
"You okay?" Kuroo asks.  
"Yeah… I…" You tear up a bit. "I'll be fine. I'll just get to know this Kiyoomi too." You smile. He blinks and pulls you into a tight hug.  
"You're stronger than me… If it gets too much just say so. We're all here for you two." He breathes, pressing a kiss to your temple before pulling away, "Now go get some sleep."  
"Yes senpai." You chuckle heading down the hall and to the elevator. The doors open and you blink at a familiar face. "Komori…"  
"___! Thanks for getting a hold of me." He steps out. "How is he?"  
"He's alright. Still no memory. I hope you can help with that." You tell him. He nods glancing down the hall before smiling at you.  
"Thanks for being with him so much. I don't worry as long as I know you two are near each other." He admits.  
"Really?" You tilt your head.  
"Yeah. I don't know how to explain it. But I trust you to be there for him. And here you are… So don't worry. I'll be here for a bit while you're away." He gives a thumbs up.   
"Thanks. And… I'm glad you're not afraid of me anymore." You say as you step into the elevator.  
"How could I? As much as Sakusa talks about you when he comes to visit, I feel like we've been friends this whole time." He chuckles as the doors close. You blink at the doors in surprise.  
"Wait… What?"   
After you leave the hospital you briskly return to the dorms, which were empty due to classes. "___! I waited for you." Nishinoya says from atop of the stairs as you start up. You blink and give him a grin.   
"Thanks Noya. I am really sleepy." You yawn as you climb the stairs and hug his torso once you're at the best hight to hide your face in his chest. Nishinoya pauses, blushing lightly before grinning with a slight sparkle feeling incredibly manly from your gesture.   
"I'm here for ya. Let's get some sleep. I was on watch with Bokuto all night." He says when you peek up at him, making him smile even more. "... Gah you're so cute." He gushes hugging your head. You laugh and he lets you go, taking your hand and leading you to your room before crawling into bed. You smile and go into your bathroom to change before crawling in with him and cuddling up to his chest, almost instantly falling asleep. Nishinoya smiles nuzzling your hair and following suit.

"Alright, I'm heading back to the hospital." You tell everyone as you pull on your backpack.   
"Wait. I made you food." Osamu hurries from the kitchen with a stacked bento box. "You haven't eaten much since yesterday. You need to take care of yourself too." He breathes lightly.  
"Okay. Sorry for worrying you." You murmur as he cups your cheek.  
"You better be. You owe me a pudding now." He jokes lightly.  
"... Back up Samu." Atsumu scoffs. Osamu tosses him a glare before kissing your forehead. "Oi."  
"I'll be coming in the morning, okay?" Oikawa tells you, pushing Osamu out of the way. "I'll bring you breakfast when I do."   
"Oh, thanks Oikawa." You smile a bit. He opens his arms in response and you hug him before heading out.   
You return to the hospital and enter Sakusa's room as he and Kuroo finish a game of cards. "... Your poker face is really good." Sakusa sighs.  
"Yours used to be better. Course you always had a mask on…" Kuroo chuckles looking to the side and spotting you. "You're back sooner than expected. But I am not surprised." He teases as Sakusa lights up a bit.  
"Welcome back ___." He greets with a smile. Kuroo and you blink at him in surprise at that.   
"I… I'm back." You chuckle sheepishly.  
"___ let's chat before I go." Kuroo says, leading you out. "So… That was cute."   
"My heart was not prepared for that." You breathe touching your chest. "Is it still there or did he just take it?"   
"Wow. You handled that well if you're worried about your heart." He chuckles in amusement. "He kept asking about you by the way." He pokes your nose teasingly.   
"Oh yeah? He did warm up to me pretty fast." You smile.  
"Doesn't everyone?" Kuroo points out putting his hand on his neck. "But I don't think it's just that."   
"Shush Kuroo. Sakusa would scold you for saying too much." You put a finger to your lips.  
"True… Alright. Have fun with your cactus plushie." He snickers heading off. You go back into the room, giving Sakusa a smile.  
"I brought you some of your things in case something might seem familiar." You tell him, taking off the backpack and setting the bento box to the side. "And Osamu made us dinner."   
"Osamu?" He echoes.  
"The dorm's best cook." You grin. "He was worried I wasn't eating enough."   
"Oh. I see." He says looking away with a bit of a scowl. Everything he did today was just surprising you.   
"What's with that response?" You ask. "Are you… Mad or something?"  
"No. You just seemed really happy talking about him is all." He grumbles.  
'What is this? Is he jealous?' You wonder in shock. You look at the bentos swiftly opening one and holding it to him. "Just eat and you'll understand. He made one for you too."  
He blinks at you before giving the bento a familiar wary glare. He takes it carefully, starting to eat. He pauses, eyes widening slightly. "... Damn." He murmurs.  
"Don't curse just because you understand. I'm going to get Kuroo for that one." You mutter. "Oh and just so you know. Osamu once admitted to me that he does enjoy your company more than most of our dorm mates."   
"So… We're friends?" He tilts his head.  
"Yes. Most of them see you as a friend." You smile sitting with him and starting to eat as well. "But it's a new thing we're not used to."   
"It is?" He looks at you.  
"Yeah. We were… lonely kids for similar reasons. We grew up together but we didn't become friends until recently." You admit. He frowns slightly, making you shift. "But… To tell you the truth, I always had your back, and made sure you weren't missing much when you were home sick.. I even used to send Komori to your house to give you snacks when you were sick. Of course back then he was scared if me and I felt like a bully every time I did."   
"So you weren't my friend, but you were?" He gives a cute confused look at that.  
"Yeah.. Sorry, I was convinced you hated me since you always glared when I came near you." You chuckle.  
"So I'm a jerk." He nods, pursing his lips.  
"No. I think you looked out for me too… I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you." You finish your food and quietly put down the bento. "I have so much to thank you for, but I never did actually stop to thank you." You murmur playing with your fingers. "And now you can't remember any of it." Each time you remembered that, you wanted to cry. "For you it's just… All gone.."  
"I want to remember." He says lightly. "I want to understand." He touches your hand softly, looking into your eyes as you peer at the sad face he was making. "Please don't cry." He cups your cheek with his other hand and wipes a stray tear away. He pauses, looking at you quietly and swallowing before pulling away. "Your eyes are so beautiful…" He grumbles with a light blush. "I forgot what else I was going to say."  
You were once again stunned by this new Sakusa and didn't know how to respond for a long moment. "Th-thank you." You finally mutter looking away. He blinks at you and smiles a bit.  
"Sorry, is that something I shouldn't say out loud?" He asks with a head tilt.  
"You can say what you want to. I'm just more used to your painful honesty." You assure.  
"Painful honesty?" He frowns, furrowing an eyebrow.  
"Yeah. It's not as bad as it sounds. I've always found it charming for some reason." You assure.  
"You think I'm charming?" He smiles widely at that, throwing you for another loop.  
'Im so glad he's not always like this or I would've died from over exposure to this sun.' You think, bringing a hand to your chest again. 'He's so precious right now I could cry…'  
"___? You okay?" He frowns lightly when you don't respond.  
"I… Was not prepared for today." You sigh rubbing your neck. He just blinks at you confused as you take his empty bento box.  
"Excuse me." An unfamiliar voice sounds and you both look at the doctor. "We have clearance for the release of Kiyoomi Sakusa." He tells you both. "We have a taxi ready to take him home."  
"That's okay. He's coming with me. And I believe a walk would be good for him." You tell him lightly, hand coming over Sakusa's. The doctor shifts, giving a smile.  
"Of course. Here are the papers that need to be signed." He sets them on the table before going out.  
"Have you seen that doctor before?" You whisper to Sakusa.   
"No. I've had the same one since I got here." He responds quietly, seeming lost. You nod and take out your phone to call Kuroo.  
'Miss me already?' Kuroo answers jokingly.  
"Yes. Now listen. We just got the clear from a random doctor for Sakusa to be released now." You breathe lightly.  
'Its nearly sundown too… These guys aren't too bright huh?' Kuroo comments. 'I'll send you a message when we get in that area, if it's an ambush we'll have a surprise waiting for them.'  
"You're the best Kuroo." You smile.  
'Oh? Tell me more later.' He chuckles before you both hang up.  
"Am I in danger?" Sakusa asks.  
"Not as long as I'm around." You assure with a thumbs up. He blinks at you in awe and you pause. "Wh-What?"   
"You're so cool."  
"... God… My heart…"  
"Are you okay?"  
"Yeah. I'm good."


	22. Warmth

You pack everything up, peering out the window briefly. "Alright. You ready?" You ask him.  
"Um… I can't fill out everything." He sends you a frown. You blink and go to his side, looking over the release form.   
"It's okay. I know the rest." You breathe, starting to walk him through it. As you finish, he stops to look at you quietly. You pause and glance at him. "Something wrong?"  
"... You really know me." He murmurs. You blink, meeting his gaze and feeling yourself blush.  
"Uh… Well, yeah w-we grew up together remember?" You manage. He blinks and nods thoughtfully.  
"I wonder if I know a lot about you too…" He breathes with a small smile.   
"Huh… Now I'm curious. It would really weird if it were just me…" You scratch your cheek. Your phone goes off and you check it to find a message from Kuroo. "Alright. Let's go Sakusa." You hum, taking his hand and guiding him out and down to the main floor. It was a bit crowded down here, Sakusa moves closer to your side, hand tightening around yours.   
"Too many…" He grumbles.  
"That's okay Sakusa just real quick." You rub his arm as you lead him out and for the dorms. "Heh. That part hasn't changed." You comment. He gives you a confused look. "You never liked crowds." You tell him.   
"Must be instinct then." He muses as you peer about, casually.  
"Yeah. Instinct is a pretty strong thing." You smile. "Get down Sakusa." You add suddenly. He drops down and you turn about, swinging your leg up to catch a villain in the face as he dove at Sakusa. "No touch."   
"Burster!" Dante roars coming from the shadows and pointing at you. You dive out of the way as his quirk rips through the side of your shirt. Your right hand touches the ground and you burst the diameter around you, swiftly grabbing Sakusa's hand and pulling him along quickly.   
"Time to go." You breathe as two different colored fireballs go past. "I'll leave them to you guys." You call.  
"Oh don't ya worry. We'll be sure to thank them properly." Oikawa hums as he and Iwaizumi walk past you two. Sakusa pauses as he looks back, your dorm mates surrounding the villain's that had ambushed you. Dante peers about uneasily, suddenly pointing at you again but Oikawa's chains wrap around his wrist and toss him into the air.  
"I have another question." Sakusa murmurs, looking at you uneasily.  
"Don't worry. We're heroes fighting bad guys is kinda our thing." You chuckle. He blinks at you in awe.  
"... Me too?" He tilts his head.  
"Yep. You're super cool too. Unstoppable usually." You grin, he blushes a bit and smiles, watching as the villains are swiftly apprehended by your dorm mates.   
"Shit. What happened to this guy? Did we take his eye?" Kuroo huffs looking at Dante.  
"Just fuckin kill me! Midnight will soon enough!" Dante shouts.   
"Oh no. That'd be a waste of information." Oikawa shakes his head. The police come to the area, and while there's a switch over in authority, a black puddle of water surrounds Dante and swiftly drags him away from the scene. The police chase after him, ordering your group back to the dorms.  
"Damn. Should've made another tracker for that guy." Akaashi mutters.  
"Eh, we thought we had him this time." Bokuto pats his shoulder.  
"You two okay?" Iwaizumi asks you and Sakusa.  
"Yes." You both answer.   
"Good. ___, that was a great kick there." Iwaizumi praises.  
"Thanks. I've been working on my combat." You grin.   
"Still can't beat me though." Atsumu smirks.  
"Shut it." You push him with your left hand playfully. "Oh, anyone got a glove. I kinda burst mine back there." They all offer you one, making you pause and chuckle, taking one from Osamu and slipping it on. "Thanks Osamu."  
"No problem. Did you two eat?" He responds. Sakusa pauses, blinking at him.  
"You're Osamu?" Sakusa asks him.  
"Yeah. Good to see you well." Osamu gives him a nod. Sakusa smiles a bit and hugs him, making everyone freeze in shock while Osamu gets paralyzed.  
"Thank you for the food." Sakusa says, pulling away.   
"Um… Sakusa. I'm the only one who's immune to your paralysis touch." You tell him quietly.  
"Oh. Right. Sorry for paralyzing you Osamu." Sakusa frowns guilty.   
"Wait. Why are you immune?" Atsumu questions.  
"Because despite his warnings I couldn't keep my hands off of him…." They all give you looks at that. "Wait no. That came out weird."   
"So we just gotta touch him alot?" Nishinoya concludes moving closer.  
"Guys, no. No touch." You hold out an arm in front of Sakusa.  
"Come on. You know this is our only chance. Sakusa would never let us if he gets his memories back." Nishinoya chuckles.  
"That's exactly why I'm saying no touch. It's not right to take advantage of his current situation." You huff.  
"You know. I'm just now seeing how protective of Sakusa you are." Ryuu comments.  
"Just now? ___'s always protective of Sakusa." Atsumu points out and you feel yourself blush.  
"I always thought it was the other way around." Ryuu points out.  
"I think it's both." Oikawa states.  
"... Shut up! Everyone inside." You tell them.   
"Aww. ___ is so pink." Nishinoya chuckles hugging you. "You're so cute."   
"L-Let's just get inside." You manage and everyone heads onto campus and into the dorms. "Alright Sakusa, let's get you to your room. You send him a smile.  
"Okay." He nods following you upstairs and into his room. You pause as you look at his nearly empty shelf.  
"Damn, they really took a lot…" You frown pulling down the notebook that was on top of the shelf. You take a pen from his desk as you open the notebook. You start to count them quietly, Sakusa peers over your shoulder at the notebook.  
"What's this?" He asks.  
"You use this notebook to keep track of your vials. You have everything categorized too." You tell him, jotting down the numbers. You sigh and lean back a bit feeling his warmth radiating against your back. "According to this we're missing at least thirty vials. Two of which contained the black poison…."   
"That sounds really bad." He says distractedly with a frown, arms moving to pull you closer.   
"It is, you haven't found an antidote for that one." You sigh, pausing when you're gently pulled into him. His arms hesitantly wrap around you and he lowers his head to peer at you quietly. "U-um… Are you feeling okay?" You ask carefully, feeling yourself blush a bit.  
"Yeah. I'm sorry if this bothers you. I couldn't stop myself." He murmurs, eyes boring into you. "You keep turning pink are you alright?"   
"Y-Yeah, I'm just… Uh… Not used to this from you." You manage.  
"You don't like it?" He breathes.   
"I-I didn't say that." You reply, looking to the side. He touches your chin, turning your face to him. He observes your face quietly, his other arm tightening around you as he leans in a bit.  
"___, what am I to you?" He whispers. You blush more, meeting his gaze.   
"Y-You… You're…" You couldn't really articulate a response as your mind whirls into chaos.   
'Should just kiss him.'  
'No. That's taking advantage of him.'  
'He won't be happy when his memory returns.'  
'But I want to…'  
'What if it goes bad? Don't traumatize him.'  
You press your forehead to his, closing your eyes. "You're so important to me… But I need you to let me go. I can't think like this." You breathe. He blinks and pouts, releasing you.  
"Okay. Sorry… You're so warm I wanted to hold you for a bit." He murmurs, rubbing his arm with a light blush. You turn to him and smile a bit.  
'He's really bad for my heart right now.' You think. "Okay. I guess we can hug for a bit longer. But then we need to discuss your sleeping arrangements." You tell him before hugging him and nuzzling his chest happily. He blinks before returning the hug with a smile.   
"Can't I sleep in your room?" He breathes.   
"I'm already sharing my room with the twins. But if you want. I can sleep in here for now." You tell him, peering up at his face.  
"Yes. That's what I want." He nods quickly. You chuckle a bit.  
"You really warmed up to me fast." You tease. He blinks and blushes slightly smiling a bit.  
"Of course. You were with me when I woke up. You've been really kind even though you're sad. And I… I feel so warm when you're nearby." He smiles widely. "I really like you ___." You blush heavily at that, taking a step back and covering your face. "... ___?"   
"You're bad for my heart right now…" You mutter.  
"What? I'm sorry I didn't understand that." He tilts his head.   
"Kiyoomi…" You uncover your face to give him a look.   
"... I really like that too." He breathes, pink kissing his cheeks. Dammit Sakusa.  
"Okay… You need to go bond with everyone while I make an area to sleep." You turn him around and nudge him out the door before taking him downstairs to the living room where most of the others were hanging out. "Hey guys, hang out with Sakusa for a bit okay?" You nudge Sakusa forward before rushing upstairs.  
"Um… Everything okay?" Kuroo looks at Sakusa confused.  
"I think so… It's okay if ___ keeps turning pink right?" Sakusa asks with a head tilt.  
"Yeah I think so too." Kuroo chuckles.  
"So Sakusa…" Atsumu leans toward him. "How are you feeling?"   
"... I think… I'm happy?" Sakusa smiles thoughtfully. "Why are you close? Do you want a hug?" He opens his arms to him. Atsumu freezes and steps back.  
"N-No, that's fine." Atsumu assures him.  
"What's wrong?" Sakusa frowns.  
"You two…. Don't get along normally." Osamu informs.  
"Really? I'm sorry then." Sakusa drops his arms.  
"It's alright… We can be friends until you remember… I guess." Atsumu gives an awkward smile.  
"Really? I'd like that. You seem really cool too." Sakusa smiles widely. Atsumu shifts at that, frowning uneasily.  
"Excuse." Atsumu breathes before going out and running up the stairs. "___!"  
"... He doesn't like me huh?" Sakusa pouts at the others.  
"... He's just a little freaked out. You're the exact opposite of how you usually are." Kuroo informs.  
"Oh? So… You guys don't want to be friends..?" Sakusa murmurs.  
"... I'm hugging him!" Nishinoya suddenly says going over and hugging Sakusa.  
"I'm with ya. Sakusa, you're awesome no matter what." Ryuu says also hugging him. Sakusa blinks in surprise before giving a soft laugh, stunning the others.  
"Please tell me someone's recording this…" Daichi murmurs.   
"I am…" Kenma whispers.  
"What a cute laugh… We'll never hear it again when he remembers." Oikawa sniffs.  
"Pull yourself together, dorm president." Kuroo passes him a tissue.  
"I wanna hug Sakusa too! Noya, Ryuu move already." Bokuto gasps.  
"They're paralyzed Bokuto-san." Akaashi reminds him.   
"Oh right. I'll just move them then." Bokuto picks up the two before setting them to the side. "Sakusa, you don't remember me but I'm Bokuto." He gives a grin before giving Sakusa a big hug, earning a chuckle from the other.  
Meanwhile, Atsumu had come in to help you set up a sleeping area. "Are you sure that's Sakusa?" He whispers.  
"Yes it's him. He just… Doesn't remember himself. So he doesn't feel the need to be a cactus…" You respond, stopping briefly. "I like how warm he is right now. But… I really miss my cactus." You rub at your eyes. Atsumu blinks at you.  
"I… Miss him too. This plushie cactus kinda freaks me out." He breathes hugging you tightly. You chuckle at that, hugging him back.  
"Alright, let's go get him." You breathe, pulling away. He nods and you both start back downstairs. You reach the living room to find almost everyone frozen in place. "... Dammit guys. I told you not to." You sigh.  
"Even Osamu and Oikawa…" Atsumu huffs. "Bro, you were just paralyzed."  
"I'm sorry ___." Sakusa frowns guilty.  
"It's not your fault. They knew what they were doing… Gotta say though… It's really cute that they did it." You grin. "It just shows how much you mean to everyone here." Sakusa blinks at you, turning pink and tearing up slightly.   
"Really?" He whispers.  
"Is he about to cry…?" Atsumu gasps quietly to you. You both exchange a look before going over and giving Sakusa a tight hug. "Yeah. We got ya." Atsumu manages before he can't move again.  
"I feel weird." Sakusa rubs his eyes.   
"Heh. I think you just felt something new is all. Come on… Let's go back to your room." You guide him back upstairs. "I'll be right back, take a shower and get ready for bed okay?" You tell him.  
"Yes." He nods and goes in. You hurry downstairs giving all the paralyzed dorm mates a kiss on the cheek.  
"Thank you guys. Have a good night." You grin before going upstairs to your room to shower and change for bed. You return to Sakusa's room and knock lightly. He opens the door, holding a hand over his mouth, eyes glazed in pain. "What's wrong? Did you trip?" You gasp.   
"They hurt," He uncovers his mouth, fangs dripping with venom.   
"Oh! I know how to fix that." You tell him, closing the door behind yourself, "Sit on the chair." You take him to the desk, having him sit down. You sit on the desk, opening a drawer to take out two empty vials. You put on some gloves before placing a hand behind his head to lean his head back and in place as you put the vial to his gang to steadily work the venom out.   
He twitches slightly, pink coming over his face. "You okay? Am I being too rough?" You murmur, pausing briefly.  
"No… It feels really good." He manages, touching your hand.   
'Oh my god this is different. I had no idea….' You blush heavily, trying to keep a straight face as you continue. This was oddly soothing though, and the face he kept making was really cute. You finish both fangs and look at the vials. "That was a lot… No wonder you were in pain…"   
"Thank you." He sighs touching his cheek, still blushing lightly as he looks down.   
"Anytime. Let me know if they start to ache again okay?" You tell him, putting lids on the vials before checking his mini fridge and passing him a drink. "You alright?"  
"Mhm." He hums taking the drink and opening it, taking a few sips. "You really know what to do…" He murmurs. He shifts and looks up at you. "Why did we fight? You don't seem mad about anything."  
"I'm not mad at you. I was just… Maybe we both were frustrated. You're always stubborn and cautious because of how dangerous your quirk is. And I just got reckless." You rub your neck. "Then I got selfish and stubborn and made you mad."  
"... You're not saying a lot… What aren't you telling me?" He asks, frowning softly. You meet his gaze before giving a sad smile.  
"I can't tell you now." You hum before kissing his forehead. "Lets go to sleep." You add before climbing onto the futon. He touches his forehead before peering at you and turning off the light. He moves to the bed, but he seemed restless now. You sit up and move to the side of the bed. "Wanna hold my hand?"  
"No… I wanna hold you." He murmurs, peering at you. "... Please? Just until I fall asleep?" You blush lightly and climb into bed, moving under the covers and cuddling up to him.  
"Okay." You breathe. He pulls in against him and hums in content, forehead pressing against yours as he closes his eyes and starts to drift off. This felt like cruel and unusual punishment, having to restrain yourself to this extent. He was so cute, so careless. You peer at his lips silently, frowning heavily. Just one kiss would be fine right? He wouldn't know.   
You move closer, kissing his lips softly. He hums, lips moving against yours just as softly. Damn Damn Damn. You pull back a bit, restraint thinning further. You turn away from him, blushing a bit as you silently scold yourself. His dark eyes peek open and he watches your back, touching his lips briefly before moving closer to you, arms wrapping around your waist as he nuzzles your shoulder, pressing a soft kiss to it.   
"Goodnight ___." He breathes. You freeze and blush heavily at that.  
'Dammit Sakusa…'

*

"Failed again huh? You're pretty useless." Tendo chuckles with a strained smile.   
"Fuck you. Where's Midnight?" Dante questions.  
"He might be here." Tendo shrugs.  
"Alright, then before he kills me. I get to kill you." Dante sneers, moving to point at him but a bluish blade leaves Tendo's sweater sleeve, and flashes out, severing his fingers. Dante cries out, holding his hand, looking at the blade in shock.   
"You can't kill me Dante. It's not in your future." Tendo sighs tipping his chin up with the blade. "Why did you have to be so useless? So smart and yet so easy to kill." Tendo's gaze darkens. "And I told you not to go after ___." He frowns before moving his arm suddenly, slashing open Dante's throat.   
"... You know, I coulda just offed him, boss…" Death says standing nearby.  
"I won't feel better unless I do it myself." Tendo responds, cleaning off the blade. "I'm getting impatient for some reason… I wish I could bring back Bloody Horizon… But we're still testing their memories…" He frowns to himself, looking away. "Maybe I should go visit ___ tomorrow… I might be able to think of a way to get Sakusa and brainwash him. It's too late to convince him. Never took them long before after all."  
"Wouldn't it just be easier to kill 'im?" Death huffs.  
"Yes. But that future ends in catastrophe. This is still a bit more certain." Tendo takes off his blood splattered hoodie, the black and purple armor beneath glinting against the light. He tosses the hoodie into a flame barrel and hums. "Maybe I'll take ___ clothes shopping."  
"My former partners will be here tomorrow night." Death hums.  
"I know. I've already seen them and analyzed their abilities. Thanks to you, the future's looking bright again." Tendo sends him a smile. "So glad mom sent you my way."  
"I see. Guess I shouldn't be surprised by that. I suppose I'll head home now. You have a goodnight boss, and try ta sleep. Yer friend will worry if they see ya like that." Death says before the black water covers Dante, tinting red before washing away and leaving no evidence as he heads out.   
Tendo looks at the spot where Dante had bled out before snickering to himself. "What an awesome quirk." He whispers before taking a selfie. "Oof… I do look bad. Time to head back." He hums deleting it and leaving as well. One of his eyes light up and he hums before frowning a bit. "Tomorrow is going to be tough…"


	23. Affection

You stretch and pause, hearing distressed breaths coming from Sakusa on the bed. You get off the futon, turning on the light and freezing finding him covered in a black sweat. 'Shit.' You swiftly grab a gasmask from the nightstand, quickly putting on gloves to shake him.  
"Kiyoomi, wake up." You call him urgently. His eyelids twitch and open, he stiffens when he looks at you.  
"What? What's wrong?" He asks in surprise.  
"Get up carefully, you need to shower." You breathe. He sits up, pausing at the black that marked his arms.  
"Oh." He nods, carefully moving to the bathroom. You toss off the gloves before going to his shelf and grabbing a black notebook.  
"Precautions for black toxin…" You flip through and find a page. "Burn everything… I can do that." You close it, gathering the sheets and blankets, opening the window and checking below before tossing it all out, making sure nothing else has gotten the sweat on it. You hurry to your room and go in. "I need fire." You tell the twins, nudging the bed to wake them.  
"Fire…" Atsumu sits up tiredly.   
"Follow me please, quickly." You tell him, swiftly leading him downstairs and outside to the bundle of blankets. "Burn please." You point.  
"Kay." He yawns, throwing a fireball at it. He blinks at it a few times before waking up and becoming alarmed. "Wait. What?"  
"Black toxin precaution." You wave your hand. "Sakusa had a nightmare. Thank god he told me about the notebook." You add and you both watch the fire for a few long moments.  
"Thank god you didn't cuddle him. What does that even do?" Atsumu huffs.  
"It's an instant death. And why they couldn't save his mom." You breathe. "At least that's the rumors I heard."  
"Shit… That explains a lot." Atsumu breathes. "What kind of nightmare could he have with no memory?"  
"Maybe it was a bad memory?" You murmur. "I should check on him." You add, heading back inside quickly. You return to the room as he pulls on a shirt. "Hey."  
"I'm sorry." He says frowning lightly. "Are you hurt?"  
"No. I'm fine. Luckily you were prepared for this." You hold up the black notebook. You put it on the desk before going to the closet and opening it. "Damn… Looks like that was your only bed set. I'll have to get you another one…"   
"Y-You don't have to. I have money… Right?"   
"I… Actually don't know where you keep your money. You probably have a safe hidden somewhere." You admit.   
"Hm… I'm cautious so…" He moves the dresser over to show a wall safe. ".... Wow…"   
"Why do you get a wall safe?" You huff. "There's a number pad on it. Even if you found it you can't get in." You breathe. He hums lightly, tilting his head.  
"When's my birthday?" He asks.  
"March twentieth…. That's too obvious Sakusa." You point out as he puts it in just to get denied. He pauses and looks back at you.   
".. My phone?" He murmurs. You take it out of the drawer in his desk before passing it to him. "Locked too…" He grumbles. He looks between them before looking at you. "When's your birthday?"   
"Now you're just grabbing for straws…. There's no way that'll work..." You huff, but you tell him your birthday anyway. He pauses and blinks.   
"Yeah you're probably right… I'll check the notebooks then…" He discreetly inputs your birthday in his phone, unlocking it. "Oh…"   
"What's wrong?" You ask.  
"I just put in a random code and unlocked my phone. I should be able to find the code in it." He tells you.  
"Okay. Well, hurry up, it's time to eat." You pat his back before turning to the door.  
"Wait." He stands up and grabs your hand. You look back at him and pink dusts his cheeks. "Um… Can I…" He swallows looking to the side. "H-have a quick… Kiss?" The question made you turn pink.   
"You weren't supposed to be awake then…" You stammer.  
"I was half asleep…" He admits tilting his head. "But I liked it. So… Please?" He blushes more.   
"Promise not to be mad when you get your memory back?"  
"Promise." He nods. You relax and lean forward and kiss him softly.   
"There. Now hurry up. You need to eat." You breathe.   
"Wait. One more." He requests, tugging your hand gently.  
"Dammit Sakusa I'm trying to restrain myself." You huff puffing your cheeks.  
"Yeah, me too… So, one more. Please?" He smiles.  
"You're just trouble." You smirk giving him another swift kiss before hurrying out, feeling a bit dazed. You head downstairs and into the kitchen to find Osamu finishing some plates.  
"Good morning. You okay? Atsumu told me about the bed stuff." He touches your cheek.   
"I'm fine! Perfectly fine! And hungry." You manage.   
"Okay… Here's food, go eat and calm down." He gives you a plate and pats your head before nudging you for the dining room. You go in and sit between Akaashi and Bokuto, eating quietly.  
"You okay?" Akaashi asks.  
"I'm fine." You hum.   
"Where's Sakusa?" Bokuto asks.  
"Room, he should come down soon." You answer.  
"Okay then." Bokuto peers at you. "Need a hug?"  
"No. But I do love your hugs." You breathe, immediately getting a bear hug from him. "So nice." You breathe hugging him back just as tightly. Akaashi watches you two and frowns briefly, Bokuto chuckles and pulls Akaashi into the hug as well. "Morning Akaashi." You smile at him. He just gives you a hug, peering into your eyes quietly. "Your eyes are so beautiful."   
"___…" He moves his face behind your shoulder at that.   
"Awww." You chuckle.  
"___! I'm home!" Tendo cheers.  
"Haven't heard that voice in a bit." Akaashi comments, pulling away as Tendo comes in.   
"Hi Tendo." You and Bokuto greet still hugging each other. He blinks and chuckles, joining in on the hug too kissing your temple.  
"I have missed you so much. How are you doing? Is Sakusa alright?" He asks softly as you all pull apart.  
"I'm alright. He's doing really well, I think he instinctively knows things so I'm sure his memory will return soon." You smile. "What brings you by?"  
"You. I want to go clothes shopping with you. Maybe make today a date?" He smiles rubbing his neck sheepishly.   
"I'd like that." You breathe. "Everyone else should spend time with Sakusa for a bit."   
"You realize last time you left him with us almost everyone got paralyzed." Atsumu huffs.  
"It'll be fine. You guys know better now… Right?" You tilt your head.   
"... Yes." Nishinoya nods.   
"That was not very convincing." Tendo chuckles.  
"If it helps. I don't plan on hugging him… Ever again." Atsumu says lightly.  
"Unless he looks like he's about to cry apparently." Tendo snickers. Atsumu turns pink, giving you an embarrassed glare.  
"What? It was very sweet." You hum, "I had to tell Tendo." You finish eating and get up. "Come on, I just need to shower and then we can go." You tell him.   
"Okay. By the way I saw smoke on my way in." Tendo hugs your arm as you both reach the lobby as Sakusa comes down stairs, some of the others following after him. He pauses blinking at you both, suddenly moving and pulling you away from Tendo, baring his fangs and making the redhead blink at him.  
"Whoa. Sakusa…" Iwaizumi mutters in surprise, Oikawa hiding behind him in alarm.  
"Easy there Sakusa. That venom of yours can burn holes in people." He smiles calmly, taking out a handkerchief and covering Sakusa's mouth as he gives Sakusa a chilling gaze. "You don't want ___ to get hurt right?"   
Sakusa blinks, suddenly pulling away and keeping the handkerchief to his mouth. "I'm sorry ___, I-I.."   
"I get you're a bit possessive of me right now. But let's make one thing clear." You breathe, turning to him and fixing him with a glare. "Don't EVER bare your fangs at my best friend." You raise your voice firmly, making him stiffen.   
"I-I…" He stammers, worry crossing his face. Tendo touches your shoulder.  
"Don't be so hard on him ___, he doesn't know me. He was just protecting you. You know people are naturally wary of me for some reason. It's not his fault." Tendo says softly. You blink and relax, frowning lightly.  
"I'm sorry Sakusa…" You murmur.  
"N-No. I shouldn't have acted without thinking… I'm sorry." He responds swiftly.  
"There. You're both sorry, so hug and make up." Tendo smiles, nudging you. You shift and open your arms to Sakusa, instantly getting a hug from him.  
"I won't do it again. I promise." He breathes. You pat his back softly.  
"I know you won't…" You pull back and kiss his cheek, making him relax.  
"There. No harm done." Tendo pats his head with a smile. "Okay ___ go get your shower." He adds as Sakusa pauses slightly.   
"Right. Oh! Come look at my room now. The twins have been decorating." You chime going upstairs. Tendo chuckles in amusement and follows you up.  
"... He didn't get paralyzed…" Sakusa murmurs looking up the stairs.   
"Huh?" Oikawa blinks.  
"That's right. You did touch his hand when you took the handkerchief." Iwaizumi realizes, looking at the stairs.  
"Why is he immune..?" Sakusa breathes.  
"That's a really good question."  
Tendo falls back on your bed with a happy hum, stretching and popping his back. "Ahhh… So nice."  
"You act like you haven't slept in a proper bed in a while." You hum as you pick out clothes.   
"Not really, Wakatoshi broke his bed during a nightmare so I've been letting him use mine and sleeping on the floor." He tells you.  
"You can stay the night. The twins can watch out for Sakusa." You lean over him, cupping his cheek, thumb rubbing under his eye softly. "You do look tired." You frown slightly. He blinks up at you, reaching up and grazing your cheek with his fingertips.  
"Fine. I'll stay with you tonight. Sounds really nice." He smiles softly. "Now go shower. Your hand on my cheek makes me want to fall asleep."   
"Heh. Sorry." You chuckle going into the bathroom. He hums sitting up and rubbing the cheek you had touched with a small happy smile.  
"Hey Tendo." Atsumu greets coming in.   
"Hi Atsumu. How have you been?" Tendo greets cheerfully.  
"I'm good. Kinda weird with Sakusa acting like a plushie." Atsumu sits down. "But you didn't get to see that."  
"No. I've heard alot about it too. Sounded so cute." Tendo chuckles sheepishly. He glances at Atsumu. "I wouldn't recommend that by the way. ___ will be very angry with you." He adds lightly, looking at him with a calm smile. Atsumu pauses, claws retracting into his fingers.   
"I was just testing something. Are you always peering ahead like that?" Atsumu asks warily.  
"You really are wary of me. So I keep doing it when you're around, in case you try something dangerous. Like you were just thinking of doing." Tendo responds tilting his head.   
"And when you're with ___?" Atsumu's eyes narrow.  
"There's no point. My amazing best friend is the only one I can't make predictions about." Tendo sighs blissfully. "Makes me love ___ even more when I get surprised." Atsumu watches him for a moment, relaxing slightly.  
"Sorry. I couldn't really relax, it's weird, since you smell like you bathed in alcohol." He rubs his nose.  
"There was a plumbing issue back in the dorms that I happened to walk in on. Alcohol just seemed like the best course to take." Tendo waves his hand dismissively.  
"So you have those plumbing issues often?" Atsumu raises a brow.  
"Yeah. It's an old school after all. Lots of things degrade after a while." Tendo says pointedly.  
"True…" Atsumu nods.  
"It's okay if you don't trust me. But I don't plan on hurting ___ so you can relax a bit FireFox." Tendo stands up, peering over as you come out of the bathroom with a relaxed smile, steam rolling out of the bathroom behind you. "So beautiful."   
"Alright Tendo. I'm ready." You smile at him, pulling on a glove. He smiles, coming over and taking your hand.  
"Okay, let's go." He hums, guiding you out. Atsumu frowns at the doorway, shifting slightly.  
"Have fun…" He mutters.

"Oh. I haven't been to the city in a long while." You comment as you both step into the train. He guides you to a place to sit before it got crowded.  
"Me neither. I thought it would be fun for us to go, try all the shops… Spoil my best friend." He nuzzles your temple affectionately. "Just us today. No trouble or interruptions."   
"That sounds great." You smile, hugging him warmly. "Hm? Tendo you feel firm." You rub his chest, before pulling on the collar of his sweater to peer in. "Whoa. When did it get so defined?" You gasp, peering over his pale muscles.  
"... This isn't fair ___," Tendo teases and you blink and meet his amused gaze.  
"Oh. Sorry." You blush slightly, releasing his collar. He chuckles, pulling you closer and kissing your cheek.  
"You're so cute… And you're getting firm too." He rubs your side lightly. You chuckle sheepishly at that. He peers at your face, smiling happily as he moves some hair from your face. "I've missed you."  
"I've missed you too." You grin.   
The train takes you into the city and you both get off, Tendo taking the lead. "Let's see… There's a cute clothes shop near the plaza." He says looking at the map on his phone as he takes your hand and guides you about. "Then there's a hero themed store across from it. The plaza has the best stores it seems." He shows you.  
"Oooh Tendo, you think they have one of those secret shops around here?" You gasp with a curious smile.   
"Maybe." He chuckles giving you a surprised look. "What are you hoping to find?"   
"I just want to browse." You admit scratching your cheek. He smiles watching you before kissing the back of your hand.  
"If that's what you want I'll find one." He hums, one eye starting to glow.  
"Don't strain your eyes Tendo. I'll be happy even if we don't find one." You tell him, touching his cheek. His eyes soften but the glow doesn't fade, he pecks your nose before looking away.  
"Too late. I'm looking." He hums. You chuckle shaking your head as you peer about. First was the cute shop he had mentioned. You both go browsing together.  
"Tendo! Look! It's an owl hoodie!" You gasp suddenly, going to it. "It's so cute!"  
"Reminds me of Koutarou. He'll be really happy." He nudges you and you pick one out to try on. You turn to him with a big smile. "Hmm.. Get a bigger size. It'll look even cuter on you." He chuckles and you take it off, picking out a bigger one before continuing browsing. You bump into some wearing a dinosaur themed hoodie and nearly knock them over. "Oh. I'm so sorry- Tsukishima?" You blink in surprise.  
"Did you not see me…" He gives you a frown.  
"No. I was looking at my best friend." You point at Tendo. "He had the cutest smile just now." You whisper to him. Tendo snickers looking away as he hides an amused smile. Tsukishima hums, giving you a look.  
"I… Really don't care. Just watch where you're going." He sighs.   
"Nice hoodie by the way." You chuckle unphased.   
"... Thanks." He nods seeming to want to leave this conversation.  
"Right? It matches his quirk perfectly." A familiar voice comments behind you.   
"Yamaguchi!" You greet turning about and hugging him, making him blush lightly.   
"I-it's good to see you again." He manages, hugging you.  
"Oh! So you got a dinosaur quirk?" You gasp, turning back to Tsukishima and making him tense slightly. Tendo just chuckles quietly watching the interaction.  
"Just had to say something…" He tosses Yamaguchi a look.  
"Sorry Tsukki." Yamaguchi rubs his neck. "But yeah. It's a really cool TRex transformation." He murmurs to you.  
"Yamaguchi…" Tsukishima frowns at him more.  
"That's so awesome! Wish I could've seen it!" You gasp. He stiffens and looks away with a scowl.  
"Sure. Come on Yamaguchi." He says swiftly leaving.  
"Heh, it was nice seeing you again. Bye ___," Yamaguchi waves as he follows.  
"That guy does not like me." You comment waving after them.  
"What gave him away?" Tendo asks.  
"He won't show me the dinosaur." You pout. He starts laughing at that, hugging you tightly.  
"You're so damn cute." He breathes. "Oh! I found you something else!" He gasps suddenly moving away to take a cactus plushie off the shelf, "Look. It's Sakusa." He grins.  
"Oh my god! I love it!" You gasp hugging it as he presses it to your chest. He smiles warmly kissing your cheek.   
"Come on. We should get out of here before one of us tries to buy the store." He rumbles, taking you to the checkout counter to buy what you had grabbed. Then he leads across the street to browse the other stores.  
You two spent most of the day there, before Tendo decides to take you deeper into the city. "We're going to get lost again." You hum peering about.  
"Don't worry our phones aren't dead so we can find the way out." He stops near an alley, peering in at a door, eye glowing for a moment. "This is it." He smiles guiding you to the door and opening it, making a chime go off inside. You blink and step into the dim store, jaw dropping before you look at Tendo. He gives you a wink, taking your hand to tour the odd antique isles.  
"Wow… This is kinda spooky." You whisper, leaning against him as you peer about.  
"Oh. It's ___." A disembodied voice sounds and you look over to find the ghostly face of Hiro blinking at you, head partially through an antique plate. You squeak in surprise swiftly hiding your face in Tendo's chest, the redhead swiftly covers his mouth, tears coming to his eyes as he cracks up laughing. "... Sorry."  
"Best. Store. Ever." Tendo laughs hugging you.  
"Are you tryna kill me, Hiro?!" You gasp once you recover, clutching your chest.  
"Depends going to buy something?" He asks, coming through the shelf and materializing. You pause, leaning into Tendo more as he chuckles lightly. "I'm kidding ___." Hiro turns away with a chuckle.   
"Oh… You work here?" You relax a bit.  
"Mhm this is a family owned business." He nods. "Actually. I'm surprised to see you. But also glad." He says before going through the wall. You and Tendo blink at the wall before looking at each other.  
"Keep being cute and I'm going to eat you up." He warns lightly with a smile.   
"I wasn't trying to be cute, Tendo. He scared the demons out of me." You pout. He chuckles again holding you closer before giving you a kiss.   
"So cute." He whispers as you blush slightly.   
"Here we are," Hiro hums, coming around the corner and making you two separate. He holds up a black box, holding it out to you. "Pop said these used to belong to a hero with a quirk a lot like yours." He opens it to show a pair of black armored gloves. "Said these gloves are indestructible… Give it a shot."   
"But what if I ruin them?" You frown unsurely.  
"I'll say I lost them." He shrugs. "I owe you anyway. Seems right." You blink and take off the glove of your right hand, to lightly touch them. Nothing happens. Not a single particle lifts from them. You pause and instinctively pull them on, pausing as the fabric adjusts to your forearm and hand.   
"... What was the hero's name?" You ask in a daze.  
"Dunno. I'm not even sure if he was a hero to be honest." He says looking at them and nodding. "They're yours for fifteen dollars."   
"Hiro…" You frown, that felt too cheap.  
"Here." Tendo hands him some money and Hiro pauses.  
"... This is a lot more…" He looks at Tendo.   
"___ won't be happy to barely pay for something this great." Tendo shrugs, sending you a smile.  
"Tendo. You don't have to I can-"  
"Let me spoil you already." He pouts, making you stiffen and look away. "Thanks Hiro. So glad I took the time to find this place." Tendo chuckles, shaking his hand. "Lets go now. It's getting late." He touches your back.  
"Okay, thanks Hiro. I'm so glad you're doing so well." You smile, hugging him before following Tendo out. He blinks after you before looking at the money Tendo handed him.  
"I ask for fifteen and he hands me 500…" He frowns lightly.  
You hum happily, rubbing your hands together. "It's so thin, feels like I'm not wearing a glove." You breathe. Tendo hums, taking your right hand.  
"That does feel softer." He comments.  
"What luck. I wasn't expecting that." You grin. "You're the best Tendo."  
"Anything for you." He pulls you into his side, stopping briefly to kiss you. "You know that right?" He asks softly, nose brushing yours. Your face and ears grow warm as you blush under his gaze.   
"Yeah. O-Of course I know." You manage. He shifts, cupping your cheek and pressing another kiss to your lips.  
"Everything I do is with you in mind… Except right now. I'm being kinda selfish and…" Another kiss. "Can't help myself." He bites his lip and pulls away to check his phone as it goes off. "Not now." He murmurs sending a message. He looks to you and pauses at your shocked red face. "Oops.. Did I break you?" He chuckles leaning forward and tipping your chin. "I love you ___. More than anything." He pecks your lips again. "Come on. Can you still walk in that daze? We should really get back." He adds before taking your hand and guiding you along cheerfully.   
'He's really affectionate today… My heart is going to pop. My face hurts from the blood rushing to it too.' You blink a few times rubbing your cheek. You peer at him quietly as he looks ahead with a happy smile. 'Well, as long as he's happy…'  
You both return to the dorm a little bit past sundown, being greeted by Oikawa and Atsumu. "Finally, we thought you two weren't coming back." Oikawa jokes hugging you.  
"What is that…" Atsumu looks at the cactus plushie in your arms. "... I hate it. Don't put that in our room." He deadpans.  
"Oh. It's going in our room." You smirk at him. "By the way, Tendo's staying the night so you and Osamu can watch over Sakusa. Make sure you wear your gas masks just in case." You add.  
"What?! Why? He has a dorm to return to!" Atsumu objects.  
"It's too late now. So he's sleeping here." You shrug.  
"Dammit." Atsumu grumbles heading upstairs.  
"He's going to be grumpy in the morning." Tendo yawns.  
"Yeah… Come on, let's go to bed." You hum, taking his hand and guiding him upstairs to your room. The twins come out, sending you pouts before they put on their masks and head to Sakusa's room. Tendo pauses outside your door, looking toward Sakusa's.  
"You should say goodnight to him. He's like a puppy right now." He tells you.  
"Right…" You hesitate before going into Sakusa's room. The twins look over at you as you rub your cheek and look at Sakusa's confused face as he sits at his desk.  
"You're back." He greets with a smile, then looks at the twins. "But what are you two doing in here?"   
"They're guarding you tonight." You tell him lightly. He blinks at you, shoulders drooping at that.  
"Oh… Is it because of earlier?" He asks looking down with a frown.  
"No. Tendo's staying the night is all." You tell him tilting your head to peer at his face.  
"... I see…" His fingers twitch before he looks at you and nods.  
"Okay then… Sleep well." He opens his arms to you. A smile comes to your lips and you hug him warmly.  
"Oh! I got you guys something!" You pull away to dig in your bags. They light up slightly at that. "Let's see. I got Sakusa this new hoodie. And for Atsumu a shirt he'll appreciate. And a sushi plushie for Osamu." You grin passing out the gifts. Osamu immediately hugs his.  
"It's so cute." He whispers as Atsumu cracks up at his new shirt.  
"I love it. You get me." He chuckles happily.  
"This is really nice and plush…" Sakusa murmurs smiling softly. "Thank you ___," He gives you a warm smile that melts your heart.  
"Aww… Kiyoomi…" You hug him at that, making him blink and chuckle. "You're so cute." You breathe pulling back.   
"Our turn." The twins reach for you, silently demanding hugs. You chuckle and hug them, receiving a kiss on the cheek from both before you head back to your room, finding Tendo curled up in the bed. You smile and take some clothes to change into the bathroom. You come back out and crawl under the covers, getting pulled into Tendo's chest as he realizes you're there.   
"Thank you." He murmurs sleepily.  
"I should be thanking you." You respond peering at his face. He meets your gaze looking half asleep.  
"... That's okay. You can thank me in kisses." He hums smiling lightly. You blink and chuckle, giving him a soft kiss in response. "I love those." He nuzzles your cheek. "Goodnight."   
"Sweet dreams Tendo."


	24. Welcome Back

The rancid smell makes you tag awake, sitting up and covering your nose. You pause, jolting with realization before swiftly running out of the room, feet hitting black water that covered the hall. It shifts and you let out a loud yell just before the water surrounds you, everything going black as the water spins you about. You pull off your glove, right hand bursting some of the water but not enough to free you.  
'I'm going to drown! They're going to take Sakusa.' You think in panic. For a moment numerous images of him flood into your mind. Your right arm flexes and half of the water orb you were in bursts. You cough, and pause, looking back to see Death blinking in surprise.  
"Boss is right, yer full of surprises." He comments, raising his arms slightly. "But ya ain't gonna stop us this time." He smiles as a black wave forms behind him. Your eyes widen and you run for Sakusa's room but the water is faster, sucking you up into blackness again, you try to struggle against the water but it spins you about and flips you.   
"This is how yer friend lost his memories ya know." Death's voice sounds in the darkness. "I filled up his room, then I gave 'im a lil pill. Which made him forget all about ya." Your chin is grasped and a cyclone of water restricts your movement. "But yer special, I can't do that to ya. And I can't kill ya." An air bubble forms around your head and gasp in the rancid air, everything still pitchblack. "But I can take the memories of the poor soul that just rushed into my waters… Or.. I can crush him and have my waters devour him. Make it a little darker."   
"Please! Don't… Don't hurt him. I'll do anything."  
"Ya don't even know who it is though. Ya might hate him." He hums.  
"I love everyone in this dorm. Please. Don't take any of them. Please. I'll do anything." You plead tearing up.  
"Ah… Don't cry lovely. I'm not dat bad." He pats your head. "Alright. But I gotta take his memory too, can't have everyone coming after us." There's a ripple for a moment and silence takes over as you try to free yourself from the cyclone. Suddenly the cyclone dies and water drains from the hall. You get up, freezing when you see Bokuto unconscious across from you.   
"Bokuto!" You gasp crawling over to him and rolling him onto his back as the alarms go off. He was breathing, he seemed fine. But you already know he wasn't going to be the same. You can hear people shouting outside, and look to Sakusa's room, the door was wide open. "Dammit." You grit your teeth, hugging Bokuto. "I'm so useless…."  
"___! You okay?" Kuroo asks, coming through the opened window, and pausing at the sight of Bokuto.  
"They took his memories… I couldn't do anything." You look at him tearing up. He blinks, frowning heavily before coming over and hugging you both.  
"They got us this time… They took Sakusa." He whispers. The tears overtake your eyes and you bury your face in Bokuto's chest.  
"Dammit…" You sniff. Bokuto groans and you lift your head as his eyes ease open. He blinks at you and flinches slightly, fear coming over his face. "It's okay. You're safe." You smile softly. "You're safe…"

"So… They got Sakusa, erased Bokuto's memory, and Tendo's missing." Atsumu lifts off. "What are we going to do?"  
"I have a tracker on Sakusa. I just need to find it." Akaashi says, focusing on his radar, but you could see his hands shaking slightly. You move and sit with him, rubbing his back. He glances at you and stops briefly, taking your hand as he focuses on his work again. "I'll find him." He murmurs as another tremor shakes the dorm. "You should talk to him." He adds, squeezing your hand before releasing it.  
"Right." You get up and go outside to find a giant earth pillar next to the dorm. Kenma looks up at it worriedly. "Shit. That's high…."  
"It's about a hundred feet up." Kenma murmurs looking between you and the pillar. "I'm worried…"  
"I'll go talk him down, don't worry."   
"I don't want to forget." He breathes and you pause. "And I really… Really don't want to be forgotten. I'm not strong… I don't know if I could handle it… Even Kuroo's having a hard time." He looks down with a frown. "I'm worried… What happens if we all forget.?" Your shoulders slump slightly at that.  
"I… Can't promise you that it's going to be okay… But…" You go over and hug him tightly. "I will do my best to stop this." You vow through grit teeth. He blinks before hugging you back.  
"That's incredibly reassuring too." He murmurs. You close your eyes, before releasing him.  
"Alright, I'm going up." You breathe, going to the dorm door opening it. "Noya, I need you." You call. He pokes his head into the lobby before coming over and hugging you.  
"Yes?" He gives a small cute smile. You blink and relax, smiling in return.  
"Thanks. I didn't know I needed your smile too." You murmur, making him blush slightly.  
"D-Don't get sidetracked ___…” He looks away bashfully.   
"Right. I need you to throw me." You point up at the pillar, "And stick around in case the only way down is falling."   
"Sure. I can do that. I'll be your wingman." He half jokes, pausing as you tear up slightly. "No no! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to remind you of Bokuto." He adds swiftly.  
"___, please take this too." Kenma passes you a water bottle.  
"Right. Let's do it Nishinoya." You breathe. He nods, wind deity coming out and picking you up before launching you. It almost wasn't enough, you grab onto the side, sliding a bit. "Kuroo!" You manage almost falling but he grabs your arm hauling you up and falling back with you.  
"What are you doing?" He snaps. "You could've gotten hurt." He scoffs as you sit up, looking down at him.   
"You're really stressed." You frown.   
"Of course I am. You saw Bokuto. He's hiding in the corner of your room in fear of everything. Sakusa got taken right from under our noses…" He covers his eyes, gritting his teeth. "We're supposed to be becoming heroes. I can't even protect my friends." You frown, he was echoing everything you've been thinking for the past hour.   
"... So what if we couldn't protect them?" You breathe. He pauses and peers at you. "We can't protect everyone, and that means each other. But we can still fix this. We can still save Sakusa. Bokuto's not dead. He's just lost right now. We still have things to do Kuroo." You point out.   
"... How do you do that?" He murmurs. "Stay together when everything is going bad..?"  
"Honestly I keep hearing Sakusa's voice at the back of my mind." You rub the back of your head with a small smile. "Nothing else I can do about what's happened besides what I need to do." He relaxes at that, smiling a tiny bit.  
"You two really are a great team." He breathes looking up at the sky. He reaches over and pulls you down into him, hugging you warmly. "Thanks ___."   
"Anytime… It's scary when even you lose your cool." You admit.  
"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you…" He hugs you tighter. He pauses as a hawk lands on the pillar. "... How high are we?"  
"Very high… Kenma said about a hundred feet." You respond turning your head and looking at the hawk too.  
"Oh… We might be stuck." He hums.  
"Don't worry. I have Noya ready to catch us." You assure. He blinks and turns his head, kissing your temple.  
"Okay. Let's get off this rock." He says sitting up with you. You chuckle and pull him up to his feet, both of you going to the edge and peering off.   
"There he is." You wave to Noya, receiving a wave in response. "Okay… Between you and me… This is a bit scarier since Bokuto isn't himself to catch us."  
"I was thinking the same thing… Wanna hold my hand?"   
"Absolutely." You take his hand and you both share a nod before stepping off and falling. A gale of wind slows your fall near the end, wind deity catching you both and setting you down. Shaken, you and Kuroo hug each other. "Scary…"   
"Thanks for holding my hand…" Kuroo manages.  
"Hm? You two okay?" Nishinoya tilts his head.  
"Thanks for catching us." You both respond.  
"Anytime." He grins. You and Kuroo let go of each other and you hand your senpai the bottle of water so he can focus on bringing down the pillar. You head back inside, hearing the guys making plans in the main room. You decide to go upstairs and check on Bokuto. Osamu sat with him, eating quietly as Bokuto pokes at his food warily. You press your lips together and go over, catching Bokuto's attention and making him shrink into the corner slightly.  
"Hey… Aren't you hungry? It's okay to eat." You murmur. He shifts looking between you and the plate.   
"I… Don't know how…" He murmurs looking down. Osamu pauses, clear worry crossing his face.  
"I'll feed you. I'm sure you'll be fine once you get a taste." You smile, moving closer and gently taking the plate offering a bite. "Say 'ahh'."   
"Ahh." He opens his mouth and you put some food in his mouth. As you had expected he starts to eat automatically, humming in delight. You chuckle and continue to feed him until it's gone. He licks his lips after, peering at the empty plate.  
"It's good right? Osamu made it." You smile, glancing at the cook as he shifts with a small smile. "He's the best cook in the dorm."  
"Then… What am I?" Bokuto asks, pointing at himself.   
"You are… Bokuto is…" You put a knuckle to your chin and tilt your head. "Bokuto is… He's loud and carefree… Loves to have fun and cuddle. He can make anyone smile with how cheerful he always is. And… I feel so safe and happy when he's nearby. So bright and warm like the sun…" You smile softly and meet his gaze. "That's Bokuto, the fastest hero in the dorm." He blinks at you in awe, pink dusting his cheeks.  
"I sound awesome…" He murmurs looking down.  
"You are." You grin. "And you give the best hugs…. Can I have one?" You ask, tilting your head.  
"Yes… Show me how?" He blinks. You nod and give him a hug, being enveloped by his arms instantly. "... I really like this…" He smiles a bit. "I don't think I'm afraid now."  
"Good. You're with friends. We'll protect you." You squeeze him and Atsumu peers in.  
"Akaashi has a location. They stopped at the edge of town." He tells you. You nod and pull away, taking Bokuto's hands.  
"We need to go get another friend back now. Okay?" You breathe.  
"... Um… I'm scared again…" He frowns uneasily.   
"I'll be back soon. It's not safe for you to come with us right now, so stay here, Sugawara and Asahi will stay with you." You breathe, cupping his cheek. "Wait for me." You add before pulling away and heading out with the twins, Sugawara and Asahi taking your place. Bokuto watches after you uneasily.   
"Suit up." Iwaizumi passes you your suitcase.   
"Right you breathe ducking into the bathroom to change before going back out as everyone finishes. Akaashi puts an earpiece in your ear, making you pause.   
"Takeda and FireCrow have a bus to take us near the area without drawing attention." Oikawa tells everyone. "Kenma and Akaashi will be our eyes so listen to what they say when they get there. And be careful, there are villains we haven't faced before amongst them. Not to mention they have Sakusa's vials to use against us."  
"Stealth would be our best option. But…" Kuroo peers at you as you shift, adjusting your glove. "It's our turn to make some noise. Let's put the fear of Raizu in them." He straightens up.   
"Right…"   
The bus drops your group off a block away from where the tracker was. Akaashi takes the lead as the group takes the backstreets. You and Atsumu pause as you come to a familiar spot.   
"___." He turns to you as you look around.  
"Yeah… I know…" You nod. This is where the twins had been playing catch so long ago. Which means the bridge was close by too. "Let's go."

*~*~

"Smoothest operation yet." Midnight hums, patting Death on the back as he goes to kneel in front of Sakusa. "Sorry Sakusa. We're going to break your mind and remold it. You'll make a fine villain. I just know it." Sakusa glares uneasily at him.  
"Break my mind…" He echoes.   
"That's right, it'll take a while though. Try not to die." Midnight straightens up. "Okay Kobalt. Drown him for a bit." He adds moving away.   
"Sorry lad. Boss's orders." Death says making a glob of black water float over his hand. Sakusa swallows in a gulp of air before the black orb comes over his head. A few moments pass and Sakusa starts to struggle.   
"Now." Midnight hums. Death removes the glob and Sakusa coughs out the black sludge, shaking and gagging.   
"You… You're trying to make me forget ___ again." Sakusa manages. Midnight pauses, turning to him carefully. "I won't. I refuse. Try to brainwash me all you want. But I know where my heart belongs." Sakusa glares at him.   
"You really should think before you speak. Or remain silent." Midnight's shoulders slump slightly. "Ki-" He freezes, looking to the doors of the warehouse. Sakusa follows his gaze as doors become fuzzy, just before you walk through them, sending particles scattering, the front of the warehouse turns to particles.  
"Now then. Which one of you bastards is the boss?" You breathe dangerously, raising your right arm as your dorm mates follow you in.  
"Wow." Sakusa murmurs.  
"Shit… Amara!" Midnight shouts and the woman sitting in the rafters throws down a rain of vials. Your dorm mates put on their gas masks at that and you launch at Midnight.  
"Hello Midnight." You breathe as you get into proximity to strike him. Bluish blades leave the arms of his suit and he turns to slash you but you deflect them with your own arm blade lightning and sparks bursting off them as you kick him back. "So that's what happened when we first met. You have lightning blades."   
"TCH. DEaTh!" Midnight's computer voice crackles.  
"Twins!" You shout, swiping your right arm out, keeping the black water back for a moment.  
"Got it!" They say, grabbing Sakusa and taking him outside. You send Oikawa a nod and he quickly follows them.  
"Wreck them!" You and Kuroo order the others just before a black wave sweeps everyone else up. You close your eyes, arm starting to buzz as you focus.  
"I don't know if yer brave or dumb." Death's voice sounds around you. A bubble forms around your head. "Yer gonna get your mates killed."  
"We noticed something about you, Death. You take all this black water inside you right? What happens to you if we release a black toxin into your waters?" You hum smirking. There's a pause and the water suddenly retracts from the room. Death reforms, carefully plucking a tranquilizer from his neck. You land on the ground. "But don't worry. Our Eagle Eye shot you first."   
"Damn clever… But ya got the wrong one." He chuckles before turning into a puddle.   
"They got away." Kuroo frowns. "And we stink…."   
"But we're alive. Thanks Akaashi." You breathe going out of the warehouse with everyone.  
'I'm glad you're all safe.' He responds.  
'I lost sight of them. Looks like they went into the sewers.' Kenma says.  
"Following them down there would be suicide." Kuroo murmurs.  
'Sakusa! Where are you going? Tch. ___ get over here on Shōkan street. He's not listening to us heading to a bridge.' Atsumu tells you. For a moment you pause, before you take off running for the bridge. The others following behind in confusion.   
You stop once you reach the bridge where the twins were. Sakusa was looking off at something near the creek.  
"Seriously what is he-" you touch Atsumu's arm before carefully approaching Sakusa, heart pounding slightly. He doesn't move, eyes locked on the spot near the creek.  
"... My heart called me here." He says calmly. "I never really believed in fate or stuff like that… I haven't been here since elementary, but the moment I came to this spot, everything came back." He straightens up and turns to you. "I don't know if I can give you everything you want… But. You're important to me too. So… Let me stay by your side." He frowns softly.   
"Of course… Welcome back Kiyoomi." You manage with tears in your eyes, rushing to hug him. He holds you close, sighing quietly.   
"... I'm sorry. This is as much as I can do right now." He pulls away covering his nose. "You stink…"  
"Yeah… Black water does that." You smile sheepishly. "Think alcohol bath might help?"  
"I really hope so." He murmurs.  
"Hey, is everything okay? Not gonna run off?" Atsumu asks as the twins join you two, looking at Sakusa in concern.  
"Don't ever hug me again vermin." Sakusa gives them a look.  
"... I can't not do that now! Welcome back Cactus!" Atsumu cheers hugging him. Sakusa makes a disgusted face and Osamu joins in. You laugh as everyone rushes in to greet Sakusa, hugging him despite his objections, eventually all getting paralyzed.  
"Kiyoomi I know you don't like hugs again but did you have to paralyze everyone?" You tease. He points at you.  
"Shut up and help me out." He says. You chuckle and pull everyone off. "And why did you let me walk around with no mask?"   
"... Because I was enjoying all of your expressions…" You admit bowing your head and offering him a mask. He sighs, a smile crossing his lips before he hides it behind the mask.  
"Let's go home."  
"Home is here though… But Bokuto is missing from it. Should get back to him though."

***

Midnight rolls onto his back once they leave the sewers, pulling off his mask and laughing lightly. "That was exhilarating! ___ is stronger than I thought." Tendo chuckles touching his stomach.   
"Glad ya aren't mad boss." Death comments leaning over him.   
"Oh no. Not at all. I'm glad we were interrupted. My jealousy almost made me make a big mistake." Tendo hums sitting up. He takes out a burner phone inputting something briefly before their phones go off. "There's your money for today. I need to make new plans now so stay in town." He smiles at them. "And thank you for your hard work."  
The others take off at that, Death sticking around. "Need help back?"  
"Nope. I'm good." Tendo gets to his feet smiling to himself. "My best friend is pretty amazing you know. The only person that can give me chills and make me feel proud at the same time…" His smile falls a bit.   
"Yer a complicated one boss. But I hope ya feel better soon." Death pats his back before heading off.   
"Complicated huh…" Tendo looks at the sky. "I should contact ___ soon."

~*~*  
Atsumu and Osamu take the group to wash up at their old house, introducing their Grandma to everyone. You were the first to shower, heavily, eventually scrubbing out the rancid smell.  
Oikawa and the twins had gone out to buy new clothes for the ones that had been in the black water. They were especially happy to give you what they had picked. Oikawa picked the pink color, the twins picking a fox theme for you. Damn them all for being cute.  
Eventually you all return to the dorms. You hurry upstairs to your room to check on Bokuto.   
"___! I'm sorry!" Asahi gasps, somewhere in front of you but you could only see floating clothes.   
"... Did you lose my owl?" You frown heavily.  
"No. He's just a literal owl right now… Hiding in the closet." Sugawara tells you.   
"I got him." You breathe patting their shoulders and heading up into your room, grabbing your owl hoodie and pulling it on before going to the closet and opening it to find the small horned owl hiding amongst your pillows on the top shelf. "I'm back." You call lightly reaching your hand out to him. "Come here." You smile as he focuses on you, carefully stepping off and onto your hand.   
"Hey buddy," Kuroo peers in as you bring Bokuto down, petting his feathers. The owl lowers himself, watching Kuroo with some alarm.  
"It's okay Bokuto. You and Kuroo are like best buds." You breathe lightly. The owl shifts, changing into his chibi form as you bring him to your chest.   
"A best bud..?" Bokuto echoes.   
"Yeah." You smile softly. "This is Kuroo, he only looks scary. He's actually a big teddy bear."  
"Don't make me sound that soft." Kuroo grumbles.  
"Like that?" Bokuto points at the cactus plushie on your bed.  
"Exactly like that." You nod, peering at his face. "You look sleepy."  
"No. I'm just hungry. Can I have more Osamu food please?" He tilts his head.   
"You're so cute." You cuddle his cheek.   
"Alright, let's get him some more food." Kuroo hums, touching your back and steering you out the door, heading down stairs.  
"Samu! We have a request." You call reaching the lobby.   
"Yes?" Osamu pokes his head out of the main room.   
"Bokuto says he wants some more of your food." You tell him as Bokuto tries to hide against your hoodie. Osamu blinks before smiling lightly.  
"Sure thing." He rumbles heading into the kitchen.  
"Wanna watch?" You ask Bokuto. He nods, hiding his face in your chest. You smile rubbing his back as you go into the kitchen with Kuroo.   
"That's a cute hoodie." Kuroo comments, pulling your hood onto your head. "Awe… That's really cute."  
"I'm an owl too." You grin. Bokuto peeks up at you and just smiles.   
"I like it." The chibi hums.   
"I prefer your fox hoodie." Osamu comments peering back at you.   
"Hm… I think my favorite hoodie is my snake one because it looks so darn cool." You gasp.  
"Kinda reminds me of Daishou for some reason." Kuroo comments.  
"I picked it because it reminded me of him." You chuckle. "And the way the scales shimmer in the light is mesmerizing."  
"And it looks really plush and warm. Kinda like this one." Kuroo feels the hood thoughtfully. Bokuto reaches for your hood, mimicking Kuroo.  
"Whoa…" Bokuto breathes in awe.   
"Like it? I'll get you one too. But we'll have to go back to the city for it." You tell him smiling.   
"Yeah. I want one too. So we match." He grins.   
"Little sunshine…" You chuckle kissing his cheek.  
"Heh. Looks like you're a bit more like yourself." Kuroo comments to him.  
"I am? Am I as cool as ___ says?" Bokuto asks him, finally seeming to warm up to him.  
"Yes. You're awesome bro." Kuroo smiles widely.   
"Awe. Kuroo… Your smile is so cute." You gush slightly. His cheeks turn pink and he tugs your hood over your eyes as he chuckles bashfully. "So cute."  
"Shhh." Kuroo puts a hand over your face.   
"Are you being shy right now Kuroo?" Oikawa comments peering at his face in surprise. Kuroo jumps and looks at him with a frown.  
"No. Shut it." Kuroo scoffs.   
"Food." Osamu says, holding up a plate.   
"Yay." Bokuto holds up his arms cheerfully as Kuroo releases your hood. You smile and take the plate going to the dining hall to sit with Bokuto so he can eat.   
"He's small again?" Sakusa comments sitting across from you.  
"Yeah. Guess he got scared and turned into a little owl." You breathe, feeding Bokuto.   
"Aww.. Is he feeling better now?" Oikawa asks.  
"Dunno. Are you feeling better?" You ask Bokuto.  
"Mhm. I feel safe with you." He smiles up at you, making your heart swell. You get starry eyed at that, grinning at the others.  
"It's too bright over here suddenly." Akaashi says looking away.  
"You're too cute." Oikawa chuckles. Bokuto smiles and hugs you as tight as his little arms can.  
"... How do I get big again?"  
"... That's a good question."


	25. Owl Be Back

"Like this?" Bokuto asks, puffing his cheeks and squeezing his eyes shut, nose scrunching. You and Kuroo watch him in slight amusement as his face turns red.   
"Breathe Bokuto. Don't hurt yourself." You touch his head. His eyes open and he takes a big breath before trying again, this time growing a little bit.   
"Oh!" You and Kuroo gasp together.   
"Did I do it?" Bokuto gasps looking at you both.  
"I think you grew two inches just now." You grin.  
"Good job buddy." Kuroo rumbles patting his head.   
"They're like doting parents." Atsumu mutters peering into the room.   
"Which one are you more jealous of now?" Iwaizumi hums.  
"Kuroo." Osamu answers.  
"Why the heck would I be? It's not like they look good together or anything." Atsumu scoffs looking away. "Anyway. While they're busy doting over him, let's go downstairs and discuss that guy." He adds heading downstairs.  
"Finally." Iwaizumi breathes as he and Osamu follow him.   
"I'm going to be big in no time!" Bokuto chimes. You smile and scoop him up Eskimo kissing him.   
"You're so damn cute." You gush.  
"Couldn't wait for him to get big again huh?" Kuroo chuckles. You smile sheepishly, setting Bokuto down.   
"I can't help it." You hum. Bokuto smiles up at you warmly.  
"I'm going to get big again so I can pick you up, and hug you." He breathes.   
"... I love that idea actually." You grin poking his nose. He smiles cutely, suddenly returning to his normal size. You and Kuroo gap at him.  
"You did it!!" You and Kuroo cheer hugging him. Bokuto blinks and grins hugging you both tightly. "Too tight!"  
"This is nice." Bokuto breathes. He releases you both smiling. "Being small is nice too, the food looks way bigger."  
"Hehe I bet it does." You chuckle, running a hand through his hair. He blinks and makes a cute face, leaning his head into your hand, giving a cute rumbling sound. "He's so damn cute." You whisper to Kuroo. He chuckles, watching you with a soft smile.  
"He's only like that with you." He rumbles in amusement as Bokuto cuddles up to you, arms wrapping around your waist. You blink and chuckle sheepishly as Bokuto puts more weight on you, making you lay back on the floor, cuddling you happily.   
"I feel like I'm the teddy bear now." You blink, fingers running through Bokuto's hair.  
"You look like one right now. Want me to see if you have a bear hoodie?" Kuroo lays on his stomach, propping his chin on his fist as he pokes your nose.  
"I don't have any more animal hoodies. I want a cat one though." You move your nose away from his finger.   
"I'll get you one." Kuroo decides, poking your cheek and neck. You jerk slightly, swatting his hand as he raises an eyebrow and Bokuto peers at you in surprise. "Oh… What was that just now? Are you ticklish?" Kuroo grins, moving closer.   
"Stay away." You frown at him.  
"Bokuto, can you hold ___'s arms down?" Kuroo rumbles sitting up, you move to escape but Bokuto pins you down, a curious look on his face.   
"No Bokuto. Let me go buddy, don't let-" You jerk and giggle as Kuroo starts to tickle you. You wiggle beneath him trying to get away. "K-Kuroo stop!" You laugh.  
"So cute…" Bokuto whispers. Kuroo chuckles, moving to tickle you more.  
"No!" You laugh, shifting slightly, leg swinging and knocking Bokuto off. You get up, catching Kuroo's hands. "No." You huff. He grins and grips your hands, making you pause as Bokuto grips your sides with a chuckle, peering at your face before starting to tickle you. "No! Bokuto why?" You laugh leaning away from him, coming chest to chest with Kuroo. He stiffens, turning pink as he watches your face.   
"Okay. I'm done." Kuroo releases you and moves away, touching his chest. Bokuto stops tickling you, resting his chin on your shoulder.  
"He turned pink." He comments.  
"I did not." Kuroo scoffs.  
With a chuckle you rub Bokuto's cheek and pause as your phone pings. You check it, finding another message from Tendo.   
"How's Ushijima doing?" Kuroo asks, glancing at you. Tendo had called you after you got Sakusa back, telling you that Ushijima had another bad nightmare in the night and destroyed the room so he had to go back to Kuri before everything had happened. When you told the others, some seemed doubtful.   
"Says he's fine. But he needs to be moved to a different room now. Going to be busy for a while." You murmur. You put your phone away as Bokuto tilts his head frowning lightly.   
"Something wrong?" He asks, touching your cheek.   
"No I'm sure everything is fine." You smile at him before looking at Kuroo. "I just don't know what to do. Everyone else is looking at my best friend in a way that I don't like." You murmur. Kuroo shifts slightly, frowning a bit.  
"Can you really blame them? With that timing. And why he took so long to tell you." He says softly. You frown and look down at that.   
"He hasn't changed any though. I would notice if something was up with him… Right?" You look at him again unsure.   
"... I'd like to think so. But you're not going to see what you don't want to." Kuroo points out. You drop your gaze again. Bokuto frowns heavily, pulling you onto his lap and hugging you.  
"I don't know what's going on. But it's going to be alright." He breathes, rubbing your back. You relax and smile a bit hugging him back and nuzzling his shoulder. You suddenly pull back coming nose to nose with him.  
"Let's go somewhere. Right now." You decide.  
"Okay." He nods.   
"Kuroo where are we going?" You ask looking over at him, making him blink in surprise.  
"Uh… Let's take a walk and find out." He stands up. You grin and get up as well along with Bokuto.   
"Lead the way Kuroo." You smile, taking Bokuto's hand.   
He nods starting out at that. You all reach the lobby and you pause, ear picking up Tendo's name sounding from the main room. You blink and approach the door but everything becomes silent on the other side. You frown lightly, Bokuto looking back at you in confusion. Kuroo shifts with a frown, watching you quietly.  
"___?" Bokuto asks lightly. You blink and look over at him.   
"It's nothing." You assure taking off your right glove and touching the door, bursting it and making everyone in the main room stiffen. "Sure is quiet in here. Hope you guys aren't up to anything." You smile lightly before returning to Bokuto and taking his hand, continuing out with him and Kuroo.  
"The best friend's scarier than their best friend…" Oikawa whispers.  
"I tried to warn you guys." Kenma sighs.   
"___'s going to hate us." Atsumu frowns.  
"We're going to get kicked out of the room." Osamu agrees.  
Bokuto peeks at your face a few times, frowning lightly. "Are you mad?" He asks softly.  
"Nope. Maybe? I dunno. I just need some fresh air… and an arm to hug." You smile a bit.  
"You can have my arm." He offers. You chuckle and hug his arm, resting your head against it, unable to see the big grin and blush that comes to his face then.  
"Bokuto's so strong and buff…" You gush giving his arm a squeeze.   
"Do you want to be alone with him..?" Kuroo inquires.  
"Not while he's like this." You respond.   
"Mhm… So if I ever get amnesia. You're free to be alone with me the whole time and do whatever you like." Kuroo smirks.  
"Well I have always wanted to dress you up like a cat." You respond, smirking as well. He pauses and gives you a look at that so you just wave your hand at him lazily. "Meow."  
"Oh no." He looks away covering his face as pink comes over it. "Too cute…"  
"Heh.. You're cute Kuroo." You chuckle. He doesn't respond turning his head away more but you can see his ears darkening.   
"O-oh look there's a barbeque place. Bokuto loves barbeque." He points starting for it. You blink after him in surprise, starting to smirk again. Was Kuroo really that shy? Made you want to keep messing with him.  
Bokuto starts to sniff at the air as you enter the barbeque place, swallowing a bit. "I forgot how cute he gets when there's barbeque." You murmur to Kuroo.  
"You call that cute? He's like a ravenous wolf." He responds as you get a table.  
"... I might have a thing for the wild look, lemme alone." You whisper.  
"You're truly one of a kind." He shakes his head in amusement.  
"___…" Bokuto shifts with a pout as his stomach growls.   
"Hang in there we gotta order first." You pat his shoulder. He makes a whimpering sound, resting his hand against yours.   
"... Dammit you two." Kuroo sighs, pulling out his phone and taking a picture. He points at you. "Stop."  
"What? What did I do?" You blink at him in confusion.   
"You already know." He frowns.  
"What did you do?" Bokuto peers at your face.  
"I don't know. Kuroo, what's wrong? Are you mad at me?" You reach across the table and take his hand. He stiffens slightly, looking to the side with a blush.  
"No… You're just… Too cute." He grumbles.  
"Awe Kuroo." You blush too, hiding your face behind Bokuto's shoulder. Bokuto blink at your hand still on Kuroo's before reaching over and stealing your hand away, holding it between his as he sticks his tongue out at Kuroo.  
"I wasn't trying to steal ___ from you… Selfish owl." Kuroo huffs.  
"Sounded like it." You hum. Kuroo gives you a look, cheeks still pink.  
"Oh look the food's here." He says, as it's all brought over. Bokuto instantly digs in, humming happily.  
"I think he's going to remember at this rate. He's not as stubborn as Kiyoomi, and he seems more like himself by the minute." You comment, watching him for a bit.  
"You were also more careful with Sakusa though." Kuroo points out. "I wonder if there's going to be a trigger for Bokuto too."   
"Maybe we should keep walking around after this, he might see something familiar." You suggest. "Course if you want to head straight back you can. I'm… not ready to go back yet." You admit, eating a little bit. Kuroo blinks at you before nodding.  
"I'll stay with you until you're ready." He says lightly.  
"Thanks Kuroo." You smile at him. He returns the smile before pausing as Bokuto clears his plate.  
"Oi! Dammit! You thieving owl." Kuroo scolds him.   
"Mm it's better from your plate." Bokuto hums licking his lips. His gold eyes peer at your plate and you offer him a bite before passing your plate to Kuroo. He takes the bite, eyes softening. "But it's the best from ___." He licks his lips, hugging you cheerfully while Kuroo looks at the plate you had passed him.  
"You only ate one thing off of this." Kuroo sends you a concerned frown.  
"I'm not that hungry. I'm surprised he is though." You rub Bokuto's cheek lightly. "As much as he keeps asking Osamu for food."  
"Think Osamu only makes him something when you ask." Kuroo chuckles.   
"... It's probably for the best." You scratch your cheek. Both of them finish eating, you and Kuroo split the bill before heading back out to wander. After a bit you and Kuroo let Bokuto take the lead as you two trail behind him.   
"You sure this is a good idea? He might get us lost." He says looking at you and pointing at Bokuto.  
"His heart might call to him… and besides, I wouldn't mind getting lost with my two strong senpais." You send him a smile. He pauses, blushing lightly and looking away rubbing his neck.   
"Alright." He breathes. "What do you mean by heart call?" He looks back at you confused.  
"It's what Sakusa told me when he first got his memories back. I think he just felt drawn to that spot, like he knew that's where his memories were waiting." You look at Bokuto's back thoughtfully. "Hey Bokuto, can you do me a favor?" You ask. He suddenly turns to you, coming to a stop.  
"Yes?" He tilts his head.   
"I need you to say 'hey hey hey'."   
"Hey hey hey?"  
"No you gotta say it like…" You pause and look back at Kuroo to find him smiling. "F-From your chest." You place your hands on his chest and pause as your brow twitches. "Your big strong… Muscular chest…" You mutter, fingers twitching.   
"Okay. I see why I can't leave you alone now." Kuroo moves behind you, taking your hands off of Bokuto.   
"I can't help it… I like his muscles…" You grumble. Kuroo shakes his head and Bokuto touches his chest with a light blush.  
"Like this? Hey. Hey. Hey…" Bokuto tries again but it still doesn't sound right. You pout at that, looking at Kuroo who was still behind you, keeping your arms to your sides.  
"Alright we'll show him together." Kuroo says and you smile nodding. "Okay, one… Two… Three-"  
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" You cheer by yourself, throwing up your arms with a grin. You pause and Kuroo turns away and lets out this weird hyena laugh. You blush and glare at him. "You said together Kuroo!"  
"S-Sorry. I just really wanted to hear you say it like him." He chuckles still looking away.   
"That was so cute ___." Bokuto gasps. "Okay I'll try one more time. Hey! Hey! Hey!" He cheers.  
"That's it! I've missed that so much!" You gasp hugging him. He chuckles returning the hug cheerfully.  
"That felt good too." He rumbles. "I say that often?"  
"Mhm! It's so cute when you're little too." You smile up at him.   
"Okay I'll try it again later." He decides.  
"Awesome. Let's keep going um.. Whichever way feels right to you." You try to pull away but he holds you in place.  
"This feels right. Can we stay like this a bit longer?" He asks softly. You meet his gaze and feel yourself relax as you hug him back, keeping your eyes locked with his.  
"You two really can't keep from hugging when you're around each other." Kuroo shakes his head.  
"Cause he's so warm and big." You murmur.  
"And ___ just fits perfectly against me…. I'm happy like this." Bokuto cuddles you. After a moment he lets you go and looks around before starting off. "I feel this way…"   
"I feel a lot better now." You smile as you and Kuroo follow after him.  
"That's Bokuto for you." Kuroo breathes, "Whether he's himself or not."   
"Yeah… He's a real good guy." You agree. "I'm glad he's still here."   
"I'm glad you both are." Kuroo says, moving closer so his arm brushes against yours. You glance at him, moving your arm to link with his.  
"I'm glad you're here too of course. You're pretty calming." You chuckle.   
"Heh. I have to be, there are alot of hyper chaotic people in our dorm." He points to Bokuto. "Like him. But honestly, Oikawa might be worse because he's also a bit of a prankster. I've had to talk him out of some… Fire related pranks…"  
"... Thank you Kuroo… That sounds horrifying and further deepens my suspicion that the dorm president is a demon." You shiver. He chuckles at that, patting your arm.  
"Don't worry I'll keep the demon at bay for you." Kuroo rumbles.   
"___. I want to fly." Bokuto says making you both look at him as he stops.   
"Eh? Um, okay but I rather go with you in case you get lost." You frown slightly, releasing Kuroo's arm.   
"Alright. I'm not a fan of his flying so I'll wait for you at the dorms." Kuroo says when you stop to look back at him. "Go get his memory back." He smiles, "And be safe."  
"Right." You nod giving him a quick hug. "You be safe too." You tell him before pulling away and going to Bokuto as his wings come out, stretching out with a slight shiver. You pause watching his wings for a moment. You touch the feathers going to his back as he crouches down for you. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you peer at his unusually focused face.  
"Hold on tight." He murmurs, launching into the sky. You grip your arms tightly, closing your eyes briefly until he starts to glide. You open your eyes, watching the town and city go by below.   
"I envy your quirk. I always wished I could've had one that would let me fly away." You whisper.  
"Would you be here now if you had one?" He asks looking ahead.  
"Maybe…" You hum unsurely.  
"Then I'm glad you don't. So we can do this together." He murmurs peering at you. He touches your arm softly. "If you wanna fly I'll take you anywhere. Even after I get my memory back."   
"I know you will Bokuto." You smile lightly, kissing his cheek. He blushes lightly and smiles, straightening out suddenly. Your arms slip and there's a pause as you start to fall. Bokuto looks back in surprise, swiftly flying about and catching you smoothly, his foot tapping against the water of a lake. "Whoa. That was close." You gasp, glancing at the water as it reflects the sunset sky. You had fallen pretty far before he came around to catch you. You look back at him to find him smiling warmly at you. "Bokuto?"   
"Thank you for saving me ___.” He breathes. You blink at him in confusion and he looks back to the sky. "When I just caught you, it reminded me of your exam." He hums thoughtfully. Your eyes widen and he gives you a grin tossing you up slightly. "Hey! Hey! Hey! I'm back to save the day!" He chimes before bursting off into the sky again.   
"Bokuto!" You cheer hugging his neck, cheek pressing against his as he chuckles. "Welcome back."  
He lands on a tall building, setting you down and stretching his arms over his head as his wings fold. You watch him for a moment, smiling to yourself. "Ahh so glad that didn't take as long as Sakusa."  
"I wouldn't have minded if it did. You weren't very different, just extra cute." You chuckle a bit. He blinks at you, dropping his arms and stepping close to you. His fingertips brush your cheeks before he angles your face up. You pause as he looks into your eyes.  
"I meant what I said. I'll take you anywhere. Anytime. Just give the word." He whispers, leaning forward, nose brushing yours. "Whatever makes you happy." He kisses you softly. You were getting a lot of kisses this week, but this one kinda stole your breath as he deepens it, pulling you close against him. You kiss him back, melting into his warmth.   
After a bit you pull away, taking a step back and putting a hand over your mouth. "Oh wow…" You breathe blushing lightly.   
"Right?" He gives a goofy grin. "Can I kiss you again? That was amazing."  
"Probably not a good idea." You breathe but he leans forward with a small smile, eyes boring into yours almost hypnotic as he eases your hand away from your mouth to kiss you again. A low rumble sounds from his chest as he touches your sides, tugging you closer again. He soon breaks the kiss, hugging you close.   
"You're right. Probably wasn't a good idea." He chuckles blushing lightly, "I want to do this more." He pauses and gives you a look. "This doesn't count as a date, we're still going on one soon, okay?"  
"Okay… You're a stubborn one Bokuto." You chuckle putting a finger to his lips.  
"You're stubborn too." He breathes smiling. "Let's go back now. I'm gonna hug my bro." He picks you up, wings stretching out again.  
"Everytime I see you stretch your wings, I think how much you look like an angel." You comment.  
"Hm? Really? I think that about you all the time, and you don't have wings." He responds, blinking at you.  
"You're so sweet…" You cover your face. He smiles and kisses your hands before flying off for the dorm. You uncover your face, head resting on his shoulder, watching as the sun disappears from the horizon.  
He soon lands, setting you down as Kuroo comes out of the dorm to greet you two. "Welcome back, how'd it go?" He rumbles. You peer at Bokuto as he smiles.  
"Bro. I did the thing." Bokuto tells him. Kuroo's eyebrows raise at that.  
"Bro that's awesome!" He gasps. They both grin and chuckle giving each other a quick hug. " You're a miracle worker ___." Kuroo hugs you.  
"Oh no. That was all Bokuto. I think his hero instincts are so strong he would've remembered everything the moment he saved someone. I was just lucky it was me." You smile hugging him back, peering at Bokuto.   
"Wait. You were in trouble?" Kuroo pulls back to give you a frown.   
"I… kinda fell off…" You admit looking down.  
"Well, it's a good thing you were with Bokuto." He chuckles. "But uh… We have a problem." He tells you with a frown. You blink, the grave uneasy tone making your heart drop.  
"Where are they?"   
"They went to Kuri…"


	26. Rival

Tendo foresaw this, all of it that wasn't linked to you directly. Still their audacity put him in awe. He shifts slightly, the cuffs around his wrists felt tight. He hums and looks about the crowded room calmly.  
"You can't tell me he didn't foresee this. Look how calm he is." Atsumu points out to Oikawa.  
"Why didn't he run then? Or contact ___?" Oikawa frowns.  
"Actually this is the best route I could've taken for you guys." Tendo crosses his legs casually. "So… What's up?"   
"You already know. What's the point in asking?" Atsumu frowns at him.   
"Because answering all those questions without being asked is going to make you guys even more wary." Tendo says, eyes landing on Sakusa. "You didn't really think this was going to go well did you, Kiyoomi?"   
"Just answer their questions." Sakusa responds looking away.   
"What's the point? Everyone thinks I'm a bad guy anyway. No matter what I do. And you're proof of that." Tendo frowns looking ahead. "___'s the only one that appreciates me from what I can tell."  
"Don't change the subject." Iwaizumi growls.  
"What subject? I'm the only one asking questions." Tendo points out.   
"Okay. Our turn." Oikawa says. "Where were you when Sakusa was being taken?"   
"I told ___ and I know ___ told you guys." Tendo frowns. "Wakatoshi had a nightmare and destroyed my room. I had to run back to Kuri in the middle of the night. ___ was sleeping like an angel when I left." He smiles thoughtfully, eyes unfocused for a moment. "Gave a kiss before I left too."   
"Oi." Atsumu growls.   
"If you don't believe me, you can check my phone. Just stay out of my pictures." He says, shifting slightly, making his phone poke out of his jacket pocket. "Wakatoshi called me at three and left a message. I called him back when I woke around four to use the bathroom. Then I left."   
Oikawa and Atsumu exchange a look before Kenma takes the phone. "What's the password?"  
"___'s birthday…" Tendo smiles. Sakusa face palms at that. "Don't give me that Kiyoomi. Yours is the same."   
"OI." Sakusa huffs.   
"... Here's the call log." Kenma shows it to Oikawa. "He's right. I'll open the voicemail too assuming it's the same as the password- there it is." He plays the latest voicemail which is Ushijima apologizing and explaining the situation, asking Tendo where he was and to return to Kuri soon. The next one is a cute voicemail from you.   
"Okay okay. You can hang up now. The rest are ___." Tendo blushes lightly, shifting with a frown.   
"Check the pictures." Atsumu says. Almost everyone moves in to look now.  
"Don't! I promised ___ no one else would see those!" Tendo snaps getting annoyed, a red circle forming around one of his eyes. He frees himself of the cuffs and swiftly takes his phone back. "I take my promises to ___ seriously. Now knock it off." He glares. They blink at him in surprise at that.  
"Hey, what's going on with your eye?" Atsumu asks. Tendo pauses, closing his eyes, blood trailing from the one.   
"Don't worry about that…" He huffs going back to the chair and sitting down, arms folded.  
"... He's just ___'s fanboy. We… Screwed up." Iwaizumi sighs.   
"Don't give me that. He's suspicious! What about how he took Sakusa to a villain base?" Atsumu points out.  
"I told you before my quirk helped us with that. I just picked the best route and went with it." Tendo rubs his temple. "Uh oh. Time's up." He adds sitting up and looking to the door just before you come through it.   
"How many fucking times do I need to make this clear- you're bleeding…" You swiftly go to Tendo wiping the blood that had left his eye. You grit your teeth, turning to give them a glare. "What. Did. You. Do?"   
"W-We just came to talk." Oikawa holds up his hands uneasily.   
"Then why does it look like he's been handcuffed? Why was Ushijima looking for him at Kuri? You freaking kidnapped my best friend and brought him to some abandoned house to question him?" Your voice was raising, hands clenched. "All of you?!"   
"Well we thought he-"   
"He what? Was some powerful mastermind villain?" You interrupt Atsumu.  
"Yes! I'm telling you something is-" You move to swing at him, making him pause but Tendo catches your arm, turning you to him and hugging your head.   
"Shhh shh shh…. Calm down." He whispers softly, fingers running through your hair soothingly. "It's okay. Nothing new." The others shift as you grip the back of Tendo's shirt.   
"I hate it. Tell them to leave." You growl. Tendo tilts his head toward the door at that, jerking it to tell them to leave. They gradually go out, Sakusa hesitating at the doorway, looking back at you with a guilty look in his eyes.  
"It's a good thing we got those gloves from Hiro. Otherwise this whole place would be gone. Never seen you so mad before ___." He smiles softly.  
"I'm tired of people questioning you. I get so stressed when it's them doing it. I don't like picking sides, cause someone gets hurt but I'll always pick yours." You grumble into his chest. He chuckles and kisses your temple, squeezing you.  
"I love you too… But you don't need to worry about it. Let them believe in what they want. As long as you believe in me I'm fine." He pulls away, tipping your chin.   
"That doesn't excuse stressing you out to the point your eye bleeds." You frown.  
"I'm fine… You don't want to go back do you?" He guesses.  
"No… I almost hit Atsumu…" You sigh covering your eyes. "Ugh… I'm the worst."   
"No. You're just protective of me… Come on. I'll sneak you into my new room." He smiles, taking your hand and leading you out.

*+*+*

"That was a disaster…" Kenma hums as they sit in the main room.   
"I'm surprised you went along with them." Kuroo comments.  
"I didn't want to… But, I was just curious what would happen." Kenma frowns, eyes changing colors, glancing up at something.   
"I'm glad I didn't go, ___ looked so angry when they left." Nishinoya comments.  
"Very angry…" Bokuto nods.   
"Atsumu is in the hall closet sulking now… Or crying…" Oikawa sighs coming in and sitting down. "What are we going to do? The license test for the first years is in two days. And I don't think ___ is coming back tonight or tomorrow."   
"Yeah… We should do something for ___." Bokuto gasps.  
"What though?" Nishinoya lights up at the idea.  
"I don't know… If anyone does…" Bokuto frowns lightly, scratching his cheek.   
"It's the best friend… Who I think we just angered as well…" Sakusa sighs.  
"... He really didn't want us to see those pictures…" Oikawa scratches his cheek. "I didn't even get the ___ folder open though…"   
"I'm not surprised he has a whole folder… But I am curious about the pictures that he promised no one else would see though." Iwaizumi comments. There's a pause and he sighs as some turn pink. "I retract that statement."  
"I'm going to check on Atsumu." Kuroo decides, going upstairs and to the hall closet, opening the door. "Hey buddy."   
"___ hates me… I should've never done that… Why was I born…." Atsumu murmurs.   
"Oh boy… Um… I'm sure ___ doesn't hate you. Just was being protective of Tendo." Kuroo pats his head.  
"___ used to pat my head…" Atsumu breathes.  
"... Hang in there man…" 

~°~°~

"It's kinda small…" You breathe peeking about his new room.  
"Yeah. We're kinda full so there's not many free rooms…" Tendo says, moving to pull off his hoodie, shirt lifting up to show his pale muscles. You blink, reaching out, fingertips feeling them and making him stiffen briefly, before taking off his hoodie and removing his shirt too. He doesn't say anything as you take in his muscles quietly, fingertips trailing them.  
"When did you start working out?" You ask lightly.  
"When you said you were going to Raizu." He moves closer, tipping your chin. "You like them?"  
"Yeah. They kinda suit you. Almost seems dangerous." You smile. He hums, eye twitching.  
"Maybe having you in my room is a bad idea…" He breathes pulling away. "It's getting really hard to behave just being around you let alone sharing a room… Oh! Wakatoshi is a good boy! You should share with him!"  
"Are you saying you're a bad boy?" You tilt your head and he blushes grinning.  
"Would you still love me if I was?" He whispers.   
"Yes." You smile with a chuckle and he pecks your lips.   
"I'm glad." He smiles then looks to the door as Semi opens it. "Hey Semi."  
"Uh… Am I disturbing something?" He asks awkwardly looking between you two.  
"Nope. You can leave it on the desk. Can you get Wakatoshi? I have a request." Tendo chuckles sheepishly.   
"Oh, sure man… Hey ___," Semi gives you a nod.  
"Hey Semi. Your hair looks nice." You wave.   
"Thanks." He smiles sheepishly, setting a notebook on the desk before heading out.   
"I'm going to get you some uniforms for tomorrow in case you decide to stay. You won't be noticed that way." Tendo cups your cheek. "Gotta measure you first." He breathes rather huskily, fingers trailing over your pant's waistband lightly. You blush lightly, looking up at him carefully as he chuckles lightly. "What? I'm kidding. I can use my future sight to see which ones fit."   
"Don't over exert your eyes Tendo…" You tell him. He shifts looking at your lips briefly.   
"I won't. I know my limits." He assures lightly. "And I'm currently reaching one of mine." He turns you to the door as it opens again and Ushijima comes in. "Wakatoshi. ___ needs a place to sleep- not with me in my room. Please take ___ in for now." Tendo chimes. You shift as Ushijima meets your gaze and nods.  
"Okay." He says and leads you out. Tendo kisses your cheek quickly before returning to his room. Ushijima's room is much bigger than Tendo's. "You can sleep in that bed." He points. "I don't have a roommate at the moment." He adds closing the door, "The beds are new."   
"Oh right… Tendo mentioned the nightmares… Are you okay?" You ask, taking off your hoodie and glancing over. You freeze as he takes off his shirt and moves to get another. "Holy muscles…" You whisper.  
"I'm okay. They're not really monsters, just… Fighting dreams…" He admits, pulling on another shirt. "Something wrong?" He asks, catching your gaze.   
"Nope! Nothing wrong at all!" You respond shaking your head swiftly.   
"Alright. I'm going to take a jog before bed. You can come if you can keep up." He says. You pause, it was an honest invite, but it felt like a slight challenge.   
"Alright. I'll join you, jogging before bed will definitely help." You nod. The door opens at that and Tendo comes in with a bag of clothes.  
"Here you are ___!” He puts the bag down on your bed. "Be careful on your jog. And sleep well." He pecks your cheek before going back out.   
"Told him not to overdo it…" You grumble taking the bag into the bathroom and changing into the school tracksuit. You go out as he finishes changing. You exchange glances before he leads the way out and off campus. 'Damn his pace is fast.' You think, barely keeping up, but acting like it was nothing. He takes you through the streets of the town, which seemed to be the opposite of the town near Raizu. Well lit and clean, so calm and peaceful. How boring.  
"Tendo says your license test is in two days." He suddenly comments, making you jump slightly.  
"Yeah. I guess it is." You blink and frown lightly looking ahead. He glances at you before looking ahead.  
"Raizu seems to be under constant attack. I'm sure you'll be fine." He states. "Raizu's not as weak as before. But the first years of Kuri aren't weak either."   
"Hm? Are we going to have to fight each other?" You ask in surprise.  
"It's a battle royale in the first half, you take out five opponents and then go to the safe zone. The second half is rescuing the failed opponents." He informs.  
"Oh… That's going to be tough.." You mutter.  
"Wouldn't know it was all relatively easy for me. The only one that gave me a problem was Oikawa, but he wasn't strong enough then." He says. You blink in shock at that, so Oikawa failed his first license test? A frown crosses your lips and you focus ahead. "I take it you weren't informed of this." He guesses when you say nothing.  
"No, haven't really had time to discuss it with the others, and now…" You didn't want to see any of them.  
"Do you really think now is the best time to be apart from your teammates?" He inquires, coming to a stop and looking at you. "They may fail without you." You pause, and frown turning to him and stepping close to him, looking up into his eyes fiercely.  
"I think you look down on Raizu too much. There's not a doubt in my mind that my classmates will win. So I hope your kohai are ready for us." You raise your chin, stepping even closer so your chest brushes his. "And you better be ready come the Rescue Tournament. Because Raizu will be taking that top spot." He looks over your face for a few moments before his lips pull up a bit, humming lowly to himself.  
"We're taking you down Ushijima!" A call sounds just as a pair of headlights suddenly ignite you two but you don't falter, keeping your eyes on him. You pull the glove of your right hand off with your teeth, making his eye twitch, both of you ignoring the car that suddenly speeds at you both. You swipe your hand out, bursting the car and Ushijima catches the driver and the passenger with one hand. Your eyes never left his and vice versa.   
"I'm looking forward to it." Ushijima finally says breaking eye contact first as you both look over at the two he had.  
"Sorry. You punks say something?" You huff.  
"Believe they said they were going to take me down." Ushijima comments.   
"They're doing a shitty job of it." You hum. A cop car soon pulls up and the attempted attackers confess, getting arrested. You and Ushijima jog back to Kuri after that, returning to his room.  
You claim the shower once you get back, getting clean and changing into something to sleep in (which happened to be Tendo's clothes) before going back out to find Ushijima doing sit ups shirtless. 'Why though? Are you a machine?' You wonder, sitting on the bed and watching his muscles tensing with each movement. 'Making this room feel hot with that.' Your brow twitches. A ping sounds and Ushijima looks at you as you check your phone. Oikawa had sent an apology text accompanied with a pout selfie.   
"Your dorm mates?" Ushijima guesses.   
"Mhm…" You hum and smile, looking at him. "Take a picture with me real quick." You smirk, moving behind him as he sits up and kneeling putting an arm around his neck. "Smile Ushijima." You breathe pressing your cheek to his and taking the picture. You don't move from behind him, moving your arm from his neck to text Oikawa back, sending the picture. Ushijima glances down at your arms around him before peering back at you.  
"Are you taking more pictures?" He asks.  
"Depends on his response."

*~*~

Oikawa's hollering jolts the third floor. "Shut the hell up Shittykawa!" Iwaizumi shouts, opening his door and glaring across the hall at Oikawa's door.  
"What's he on about now?" Kuroo yawns coming out too.  
"I miss ___…" Bokuto sighs coming out.  
"Iwa-chan! I apologized to ___ and got sent this!" Oikawa shows them the picture in distress. "Why is he shirtless!? And ___'s wearing his t-shirt!"  
"That shirt's too small, idiot." Iwaizumi huffs.  
"Probably Tendo's." Kuroo says.  
"That smirk is nice though." Bokuto blushes lightly.  
"Yeah…" Iwaizumi breathes.  
"Ugh! You guys are the worst. I'm telling ___ to come home." Oikawa gasps while messaging you.

"Oh looks like he wants another picture." You chuckle. You look at Ushijima as he watches you quietly. "Can you pose with me real fast? I'm going to get under his skin." You smirk.   
"What do you want me to do?" He asks. You hum and think for a moment before straddling his lap.   
"Smirk." You request. He tries but it looks weird. "Mmm no… Let me fix it." You move his lips a bit, curling them into a smug smirk. "Mhm. That looks good on you…" You nod, moving his eyebrows to match. "Narrow your eyes a bit… Perfect. Wow. You look really attractive right now. Keep your face like that." You bring his forehead to rest against your cheek. "Now give the phone a side glance… Hold it." You smirk as well, taking the picture.

Oikawa hollers again, turning pink. "No ___! Stop being sexy with him right now!" He shouts. "I'm going to cry."  
"What? You're being so…" Iwaizumi trails off as Oikawa shows them the picture. "... Thats a nice one too."  
"Bokuto where are you going?!" Kuroo gasps with a blush as Bokuto suddenly turns away to leave.  
"I'm going to break into Kuri and be sexy with ___ too!" Bokuto growls. Iwaizumi and Kuroo exchange a glance swiftly grabbing Bokuto to hold him back.   
"You can't! We should give ___ space!" Kuroo says, struggling with him. There's a sound of a window opening and Iwaizumi looks back, suddenly letting go to run and grab Oikawa who's about to go out the window.  
"Not you too idiot!" Iwaizumi growls trying to pull him away from the window.  
"I'll never forgive you Ushijima! You fiend! ___ will be mine!" Oikawa hollers.  
"___'s mine!" Bokuto snaps at him.   
"Shut it you two!" Kuroo tells them in annoyance.   
"I don't know what's going on but ___ is mine. I kissed ___ first." Osamu declares coming up the stairs with a few others.   
"I heard ___…” Atsumu peeks around the corner. "And you're wrong Samu. I kissed ___ first."   
"Inari doesn't count because that day technically didn't happen." Osamu points at him.  
"Wasn't it Kita then?" Kenma says.  
"Damn Kita." The twins hiss.  
"___'s gotten a lot of kisses." Nishinoya mutters.  
"I don't care. Because in the end I'll be the one to marry ___." Oikawa states.  
"No. It's going to be me." Bokuto growls.  
"You can't marry ____, unless ____ falls in love with you." Sakusa sighs.  
"I can do that no problem." Oikawa flips his hair.  
"Not if I take ___ on an insanely romantic date first!" Bokuto snaps.  
"Like that'll be enough. You can't even cook." Osamu huffs.  
"Shut it 'Samu! ___ doesn't just care about food!" Atsumu snaps.  
"Really? Cause I hear ___ call my name more than any of you." Osamu says with a smug smile.   
"... Well I'm not backing down either. I like ___ and they're gonna fall for me." Nishinoya declares.  
"... You all have fun with that." Sakusa deadpans, turning away.  
"Don't give us that Sakusa. You're a threat too." Atsumu scoffs.  
"I'm not concerned. I'm not going to compete with you lot. That's not how love works." He sighs.  
"Sure it is. You spoil them, spend time with them and be intimate together. That's how you get love. Right?" Nishinoya smiles.   
"Right… But then Tendo has us all beat." Osamu nods, putting a knuckle to his chin.  
"That's true. But so does Sakusa." Atsumu frowns.  
"I'm not losing!" Bokuto and Oikawa say together. Iwaizumi finally flings Oikawa out of the window and into Bokuto, making him and Kuroo go down.  
"Shut it! It's bed time now." Iwaizumi snaps at them, closing the window. "And… I'm not losing either." He growls blushing lightly.  
"Wow… ___ has a massive fanclub." Ryuu yawns. "Means I can make Kiyoko mine."   
"I'm going back to bed, it's too late to be arguing over who is going to get ___'s heart." Kenma yawns going downstairs.  
"Right. ___'s still mad at us anyway." Atsumu pouts following him.   
"Sleep in your room Atsumu. Not the hall closet." Kuroo calls after him as he gets up. He looks down to find Oikawa and Bokuto out. "Nice throw Iwaizumi. Took out both of the troublemakers."   
"That was luck… I don't feel like putting Shittykawa in his bed." Iwaizumi admits looking down at them.  
"Same." Kuroo goes over, taking a blanket from the hall closet and putting it over the two. "There we go. They'll probably be cuddling by morning."  
"I hope I can get a picture of that. Oikawa will hate it." Iwaizumi smirks.  
"That's probably exactly why ___ sent those pictures with Ushijima." Kuroo comments.  
"Heh. ___'s the best. Kinda jealous of Ushijima though. That last one looked like they were really close." Iwaizumi breathes.  
"Right? Gonna have to ask Oikawa to send me that one." Kuroo nods. "Well goodnight."  
"Goodnight."

"You're really photogenic Ushijima." You hum, going through your new pictures.   
"I am?" He peers over at you since you were sitting on the floor against your bed.  
"Mhm. So handsome, and strong looking." You murmur. He blinks at you and looks away.   
"Thank you." He says.  
"I'm just stating facts here. You must intimidate the villains that come across you. And you were so fast in catching those guys too." You recall.  
"You must intimidate them as well, watching the car turn to dust like that was a bit unnerving." He responds. You peer over your phone at him.  
"You're not wrong. It still scares me sometimes." You admit looking back at your pictures, swiping to older ones with your dorm mates.   
"... Most people with a quirk like yours become a villain." He states, and you pause glancing at him again as he looks up at the ceiling. "It would be really easy for you. So it's admirable that you're taking the path of a hero."   
"... Thank you… Actually feels really nice to hear that from you." You smile a bit as he peers at you.   
"I don't see why. But I'm glad it does." He says before yawning quietly.   
"Oh sorry, I'll turn off the light, sleep well Ushijima." You turn off the light and move to your bed. You try to settle in but you weren't feeling very tired, and kinda cold. "Hey… Ushijima?"  
"Yes ___?”   
"I um… Can I sleep in your bed with you?"  
"Why? Are you scared?"  
"No I just… Sleep better if there's someone next to me…" You admit. He pauses before letting out a breath, getting out of his bed before coming over and crawling into yours.  
"Alright. I believe this might help me sleep better as well." He says getting under the covers and moving closer to you. You relax a bit, closing your eyes. "Sleep well."  
"You too." You breathe, drifting off.


	27. Wholesome

"Aww I knew you two would hit it off." Tendo's voice makes your eyes crack open to find a bare, muscular chest, large arms wrapped around you.  
"Whoa…" You whisper looking over at Tendo. 'He's huge!' You mouth.  
'I know! You look warm.' He comments silently with a smirk. You blush and peek at Ushijima's sleeping face.  
'He's so cute right now.' You mouth to Tendo. He nods in amusement and Ushijima nuzzles your cheek with a content sigh, lips moving against your cheek as a heavy blush forms on your cheeks. 'Help! Too much!'  
'No. Suffer in cuddles.' Tendo snickers going out.   
'Damn you best friend! Do not abandon me to this shirtless beast!' You silently curse him. Ushijima squeezes you slightly, wrapping a leg around you and cuddling his face against you more. 'I feel like a body pillow.' You think, peeking at him. He really did have nice features. Your fingers trail up his jaw to comb through his hair. He hums, eyes opening slightly and meeting your gaze.   
You both pause, eyes locking, his fingers twitching slightly. "... Good morning…" He murmurs.  
"G-Good morning." You manage. Neither of you move for a moment. He unwraps himself from you and you both sit up. "You uh… Sleep well?"  
"It was a good night's rest. Thank you for suggesting we share the bed." He responds getting up and stretching. You watch his muscles ripple slightly and swallow.  
"Yeah… No problem." You murmur in awe.   
"___! Oh good morning Wakatoshi! Finally let go of your teddy bear?" Tendo chuckles coming back in.  
"I don't have a teddy bear…" Ushijima gives him a confused look.  
"I was referring to ___. You were really all over my dear friend." Tendo hums, tossing you a wink and making you blush.  
"... I apologise that sounds really restricting." Ushijima looks back at you.  
"No it's fine… It was nice and warm…" You assure, awkwardly rubbing your neck.   
"Heh it certainly looked it. So what's your plans for today? Wanna run errands with me?" Tendo climbs onto the bed, peering at you curiously.  
"Yeah. Let's spend the day together again." You grin.  
"Alright!" He chimes hugging you cheerfully. "Go get your Kuri uniform on."   
"Gotcha." You chuckle going into the bathroom to change. Tendo gets up humming cheerfully and peeking at Ushijima.  
"You look like you enjoyed ___'s company." He hums.  
"I think I understand why you adore ___. Just a little bit though." Ushijima says picking out his uniform.  
"Good." Tendo breathes. You soon come out, straightening out your uniform. "So cute!" He gushes, glomping you.   
"Heh. Think so?" You chuckle sheepishly.   
"Our uniform suits you ___." Ushijima says, catching you both off guard. He looks away and goes into the bathroom to shower.  
"... He's not going to ask me to come here is he?" You whisper to Tendo. He blinks and smiles at you.   
"Sounds like you've forgiven them already." He hums. You pause and look away at that. "It's not a bad thing ___, I think they're good guys that want to protect you too." He tips your chin to make you meet his soft gaze. "You still love me. And that's all I could ask for." He breathes leaning in and kissing you deeply. He pauses and pulls away, licking his lips before looking to the door as Shirabu comes through.  
"Ushijima- oh, Tendo… ___… Good morning." He greets in surprise.   
"Morning! Ushijima is in the shower, come on ___, let's go!" Tendo tugs your hand cheerfully and leads you out the door. "Gotta stop by the office and then we'll go." He says leading you through the courtyard. "You should wait outside the gate. Wouldn't want the headmaster to find you."  
"Okay, see you soon." You nod heading out the gate to wait for Tendo. He comes out a few moments later with a satchel.   
"Guess who we get to see today!" He beams.   
"... Kita." You guess.  
"... You're getting really good at these guessing games." He pouts.  
"That's because I know you." You chuckle at him. "And I might be reading your mind." You wiggle your fingers at him.  
"That is not suggested." Tendo chuckles, taking your hand and leading the way.  
You reach the train station and pause, looking back when you feel someone watching you and stop. Tendo glances at you, letting go of your hand. "Train will be five minutes late. I'll leave you with him for a bit." He says. You give him a confused look as he goes up the steps before looking back again as a familiar red fox steps into view.   
"Oh…" You turn to the fox, and kneel, letting him approach. "You're… Going to get into trouble for skipping class." You frown softly. He nods, looking down as his ears droop. You shift frowning more at that. "You're not going to change back to talk this out are you..?"   
"I mean… I could… Just thought seeing my face would make you angry." The fox responds.  
"Since when can you speak in that form?" You blink in surprise.  
"For a bit now…" He admits looking up at you.   
"... Okay… We're on errands right now. You can come along if you want… I'm.. still not happy, but I'll listen when you're ready to talk things out." You tell him straightening up.  
"I understand." He murmurs, moving to your side as you go up the steps to the station, finding Tendo.   
"Hello Atsumu," Tendo greets crouching down and offering his hand to the fox. "___ is still mad, but I'm not mad at you. I never was." He smiles. The fox watches him before placing his paw on Tendo's palm, not really responding. Tendo gives his paw a light shake before standing as the train comes. "Let's go now."  
You get on the train, getting a seat next to Tendo, Atsumu hopping up on the seat on your otherside. "Should I message Kita?"  
"Nah, he'll like the surprise." Tendo chuckles. "It's always a treat when you randomly pop up."   
"Heh.. Alright." You smile lightly. "Does Osamu know you're here?" You ask Atsumu. He avoids your gaze, ears flickering.  
"Yes…" He lies before bowing his head. "No. He doesn't."  
"Okay then." You hum, taking a picture of the fox before sending it to his twin. "He knows now." You breathe. He nods and Tendo peeks at the fox before taking your hand and placing it on Atsumu's head. You pause as does the fox, glancing at each other.   
Tendo smiles and rests his head on your shoulder, closing his eyes as he cuddles up to your side. "... He really is good to you…" Atsumu breathes.  
"He knows you're just worried about me. He doesn't like it when I'm down." You respond. His ears droop at that. "... I don't think I can really blame you though. I guess if things were flipped I would've been worried too. Though I would've stayed back to watch what happened, probably…"  
"I wish I had done that." He mutters. You pet his head for a bit, watching him quietly before focusing on the land passing outside the train.   
Inari clearly had more security now, you were all checked before entering the campus. "I'm glad they're keeping Kita safe." You comment walking with Tendo as you peer about.   
"It does seem a lot safer now." Tendo hums. "Oh, go that way, you'll find him." He points down a hall. "I'll come find you when I'm ready." He adds before heading off. You and the fox watch him go before exchanging glances and starting down the hall he had pointed down. You get halfway down the hall before you shift closer to a door to get out of the way of the other students. Someone opens the door and you bump into them.   
"Oh, sorry-" Your nose brushes theirs and you both pause. "Kita."  
"___, I… What are you doing here?" He smiles, moving you away from the doorway gently.   
"I'm on errands with Tendo and one of our stops is Inari." You smile giving him a hug. He blinks and hugs you back warmly.   
"That's… Lucky, I was just thinking about you." He admits, rubbing his neck. "Your license test is the day after tomorrow right?"   
"Right, what about it?" You raise an eyebrow at him.  
"I… Made you something that might help if you can stop by later." He tilts his head.   
"Sure, and that's… Really sweet of you." You scratch your cheek.   
"It's not a problem… I wish there was more I could do for you." He breathes, before pausing and looking down. "Oh, I'm sorry Atsumu, I didn't see you." He greets the fox that had wedged himself between you. The fox grumbles in response, looking up at him.  
"___! I'm ready to go! Hey Kita, wow! You've gotten big huh?" Tendo greets with a grin, patting his arm.   
"Yes, I've been working out." Kita nods, smiling a bit. "It's a part of my new routine."   
"I see, you'll have to show me how you do it, I'm trying to bulk up a bit but it's not as noticeable as you." Tendo hums.  
"I could do that." Kita tilts his head. "Stop by whenever."   
"You're the best Kita. We'll let ya go to class now." Tendo grins, tugging your hand.   
"Bye Kita, see you later." You wave before starting out with Tendo. "Where next?"  
"Nohebi. I believe you might know someone there." Tendo chuckles.  
"Really? Who?" You ask.  
"No spoilers." He puts a finger to his lips.  
"Aw…" You pout.  
"Nope." He swiftly turns his head away.  
"Oh no… It's too cute. Tell ___.” Atsumu huffs.   
"I'm not falling for it. I love ___'s surprised face." Tendo says avoiding your pout.   
"Fine. I'll wait." You sigh looking down at Atsumu. He peers up at you and tilts his head. "Come here." You suddenly lean over and scoop him up into your arms.  
"You took longer than I thought you would." Tendo comments with a smile.  
"Like I can keep being mad at him when he's in this form." You grumble into Atsumu's fur as his tail starts to wag happily. "Too damn cute.."   
"Hmm… Then you two take these files to the Nohebi Academy office. ___ has the uniform so they'll think you're the errand runner today." Tendo takes a file from his satchel.   
"Huh? But what are you doing?" You blink in confusion.  
"I'll go to the other schools on my route. Then come get you at the Nohebi station around three…. Wait no… The trains will go out before I can head your way…" Tendo puts a knuckle to his chin, eyes glowing red. "Scratch that. Just head to Kita's after you're done at Nohebi. You'll have to sleep over there."   
"Tendo…" You frown lightly in concern for his eyes.  
"I know. Don't worry about me. I'm happy I got to spend time with you today. Now, go spend the rest of it with Atsumu. He's a good guy and you should make up soon." He kisses your temple. He stops as you reach the train station. "Go on. The next train takes me where I need to be. So I'll see you later." He waves. You shift, looking back at him.  
"Be careful Tendo. I'll message you later." You breathe before getting on the train. Atsumu sits beside you, taking his human form and making you pause. He keeps his gaze down, frowning heavily.  
"It's okay if you wanna yell at me and call me ass. Because I really feel like one now. Your best friend is a good guy." He rubs his neck. "And I won't say I won't do that again. Probably won't be Tendo. But if I got a bad feeling about someone near you, I am going to say something about it." He meets your gaze seriously. "I won't give them the chance to hurt you. Even if you don't agree." He says, eyes narrowing. You blink shifting slightly before you lean over and give him a quick kiss.   
"I trust you." You murmur covering your mouth with a small blush. He gaps at you in shock, steady blush capturing his face.  
"W-w-w-what… Did you just..? I'm not dying?" He stammers checking himself over.   
"Sorry. I don't know where that came from." You admit looking to the side. He blinks and looks back at you, pulling you into a hug.   
"That's okay. I'm just… Happy." He murmurs, smiling into your shoulder. "I couldn't sleep last night, I was worried you would hate me for much longer than this." You pause and hug him back tightly.  
"Like I could hate you…" You hide your face in his shoulder. "I love foxes." You grumble. He pauses and chuckles at that.   
"That's all I got going for me huh?" He huffs, pulling back a little to fix you with a teasing look.   
"You're really handsome too. Oh but so is Osamu and he has a fox quirk too…" You hum in thought, making him frown. "But I like that I can get into a ridiculous argument with you and still feel fine after. And your over confident and smug demeanor has a charm to it. Surprisingly loyal too and so protective." He smiles a bit watching you with a soft gaze.  
"Do you think you could fall for me?" He asks softly. You blink at him in surprise and put a knuckle to your chin.  
"Probably. Why? Are you trying for a monster like me?" You joke. He searches your eyes and smiles a bit, making you blush lightly.  
"Yeah, sounds more fun than being your roommate." He chuckles. You hug him, nuzzling his chest.  
"I'm surrounded by weirdos…" You smile, closing your eyes.  
"Oh yeah. Definitely… Except for me. I'm normal and funny."   
"Freaking dork too."   
"... You're the dork…"  
"Oh no. Definitely you."  
"Nu uh."  
"Uh huh."  
"At least I don't have a creepy plush cactus."  
"You take that back, Sakusa isn't a creep. And he's not a plushie anymore."  
"I was referring to the thing that sits on the dresser smiling at me all night."   
"Oh my god Atsumu leave my plushie alone. It's not going to kill you."  
"It's planning to. Those cute little eyes are full of murder."  
"Pfft... Hahaha!… Dammit Atsumu…"  
"That cute laugh means I win this argument."

You step off the train, spotting the academy as soon as you leave the station. "Okay, fox time." You pat his head. He blinks and takes his fox form so you can put him on your shoulders as you head to the school, passing a pet shop along the way and stopping. A few collars catching your eye.   
"What's up? See a rabbit or something?" He asks.  
"Maybe… Let's just stop in here…" You murmur going in. You pass some of the critters inside their tanks, the puppies jumping at Atsumu happily. You reach the collars after a bit, picking two fire print collars with bells, one blue and the other red.   
"... Wait a minute…" Atsumu's ears perk in realization as you start for the checkout. "No. You gotta be kidding." He says to you quietly, ears folding back.   
"Sorry. I have a need for this." You breathe and pay for the collars, putting the red one on him before you head out, stuffing the other in your hoodie pocket. A smile comes to your lips as the bell jingles quietly.  
"... You really are a monster…" He sighs.   
"It's safer for you if you have a collar in that form. Anyone else would see a wild animal." You point out. "Plus. You look cute with a little collar."  
"I rather be mistaken for a wild animal than a pet." He scoffs, ears folding back.  
"You don't wanna be my pet, Atsumu?" You tease. He pauses, ears flickering at that.  
"What kinda question is that?!" He questions in embarrassment. "Are you crazy!?"  
"I was teasing. You sure got bothered by it. You secretly liked that idea huh?" You snicker.  
"Shut up! I did not!" He snaps.   
"I can almost see you blushing right now. Take a breath or two Atsumu. I'm still teasing you." You chuckle.  
"I hate you…" He grumbles. You reach Nohebi and enter campus.   
"Must be lunch time already." You comment, finding the courtyard bustling and seeing some students leaving.   
"Smells like it." He agrees.   
"___!!” A familiar call sounds and you look over as Mika runs up, hugging you cheerfully.  
"Mika. You go to school here?" You blink in surprise.  
"Mhm! Daishou too!" She beams at you.  
"So bright…" You look away. "Tone down the cute Mika…"   
"Hehe. Come on, I was about to go find Daishou." She giggles, taking your hand and leading you along. Atsumu was currently half in your hood in an attempt to hide himself, but his bell jingles and Mika looks back. "Oh hey Atsumu! That's a cute collar you got on."  
"... Thanks." He responds, getting settled in.   
"I just bought it for him." You grin.  
"Really? I would've gone with a sparkly jeweled one personally." Mika comments.  
"... I love my collar ___ please don't get me another." Atsumu tells you.   
"Haha. Sorry Mika I don't think that would've suited him." You chuckle as she giggles.   
"I know." She smiles. "Daishou!" She suddenly calls with a wave. You spot him as he looks over and pauses in surprise before coming over and greeting you with a smile.  
"Good to see you ___." He rumbles before pausing and flicking Atsumu's bell.  
"I'll bite off your fingers…" The fox warns feebly.  
"You could, they grow back." Daishou hums making the fox shudder.  
"Ew…" Atsumu breathes while you chuckle.  
"It's the reptile thing." You comment. Daishou sends you a wink, forked tongue flickering out. '.... That's still hot.' You think looking away and trying to keep from blushing.  
"Daishou…" Mika hums and he pauses.  
"Sorry. I know you don't like that…" He puts a hand over his mouth glancing at her.  
"Eh, I don't really care. But let's all eat together." Mika smiles.  
"That sounds great. I haven't eaten much lately. Let me just take this file to the office." You tell them smiling.   
"Oh, right we'll walk you to the office then… Did you transfer to Kuri or something?" Daishou asks, taking the lead with you, Mika walking behind petting Atsumu.  
"No, I had a bit of a fight with my dorm mates and Kuri took me in for the night." You answer.  
"Oh… You alright?" Daishou blinks.  
"Yeah. I'll go back and work things out with the rest tomorrow. The main one was Atsumu. But as you can see, we're fine now." You reach back to pet Atsumu's head, finding Mika's hand instead.  
"I'm not surprised there. You two are pretty close." Mika says taking your hand briefly before pulling hers away. "Even when you argue it looks like you're having fun most of the time."  
"It is." You and Atsumu agree. You smile a bit and look down thoughtfully. Daishou peers at you before stopping.   
"Here's the office." He tells you. You nod and go inside, handing over the file before going back out and heading off campus with Daishou and Mika to have lunch together. Atsumu hops off your shoulders, taking his human form and removing his collar, transferring it to his pocket.  
"So hungry." He stretches as his stomach growls.  
"Sounds like we should go to the buffet." Mika comments.  
"Sounds good to me." You smile a bit.  
"I know just the one." Daishou rumbles leading the way. He takes you to the edge of town, into a buffet that has everyone's stomachs rumbling before even entering.   
"Daishou knows the best places to eat." Mika tells.  
"Daishou is just the best." You breathe.   
"Hehe he can be." She agrees with a giggle.   
"You two are making him blush." Atsumu chuckles. You and Mika peer at him at that.  
"Aww, look at him being cute." You chuckle.  
"Cute." Mika agrees.  
"You two… Quit ganging up on me…" He says looking away.  
"... I'm not jealous… Not jealous." Atsumu grumbles. You and Mika laugh, finding a place to sit and eat.  
Daishou seems to become rather quiet during the meal, peering at you a few times as you and Mika chat cheerfully. You finish eating but Atsumu goes back for seconds.  
"___, will you come with me for a bit?" Daishou asks.   
"Hm? Sure, will you be okay with Atsumu for a bit?" You ask Mika.  
"Mhm! I want dessert anyway. And Atsumu is pretty funny." Mika smiles. "Be careful."   
You give a nod and follow Daishou out, peering at him a few times as he leads the way. He had a small, cute, excited smile on his face as he led you down a few alleyways to a large building that was fenced to keep people out.   
"What do you think? Used to be a radio station." He says putting his hands on his hips and smiling up at the building. You pause in confusion but it swiftly clicks as you look between him and the building.  
"This is it?" You gasp lighting up. "Your agency?"   
"Yeah. Gotta fix it up first… Used to play here when I was a kid… Come on, I'll show you around." He adds hopping the fence. You blink and quickly follow. "I haven't shown anyone else this, so don't say anything." He breathes as he leads you inside.  
"Not even Mika?" You raise an eyebrow at him.  
"No… It looks like crap right now so…" He rubs his neck.  
"... I'm going to have such a cute boss." You snicker, making him pause and blush. He turns to you pinching your cheeks with a frown as you chuckle at him. "What? You are!"  
"Don't tease me. I'm your boss." He grumbles, mushing your face and making you laugh.   
"Sorry boss, can't help it." You pull your face away before looking around the dark lobby. "This place is huge…" You comment.   
"Yep. There are five floors above us." He informs, leading you up the stairwell. "A kitchen on the ground floor, a basement too. Not sure what to do with that yet, maybe a hangout room… The floors above will be rooms for the others that decide to join. I'll have another kitchen built on the third floor." He starts to ramble a bit about his plans for the building, his eyes holding an excited glint all the while. After a bit he stops himself, shifting slightly. "Sorry. I talk too much." He coughs lightly.  
"Hm? Why did you stop? I was listening. And you're really cute when you talk about it. I don't mind if you go on." You grin. He blushes heavily covering his face with a small groan.   
"Why are you like this…"   
"Just being honest Dai-chan. So keep talking, I'm really interested in what else you have planned." You nudge him. He sighs and straightens up, letting out a breath.  
"Alright, so the last thing is the rooftop." He says, taking you up the last set of stairs and onto the roof. "I'm thinking of a garden area up here."   
"For when Mika comes to visit?" You smirk, making him blush and push you lightly making you chuckle.   
"Not just that. Be a nice place to come out to at sundown." He grumbles going to the edge. "You can see the ocean from here too." You join him and smile thoughtfully.   
"Gotta say Daishou, you really got an eye for this sort of thing. I'm getting excited about this myself." You grin.   
"Good. Make sure you get that license, you can come train with me before the Tournament if you want. This year is really going to be something." He smiles lightly, stretching a bit.   
"Right boss." You grin. He peers at you, hooking an arm around your neck and tugs you closer, your head resting on his shoulder. You blink before smiling and putting an arm around him. You both stay like that for a bit before he lets you go.  
"Come on. Atsumu will probably start worrying soon." He chuckles leading you back down and over the fence. You stop briefly to look up at the building again. He pauses, looking back at you, glancing at the building and smiling a bit.  
"We should make it look like a giant snake is wrapped around it." You say raising your arms to the building.  
".... Oh hell yeah." He breathes and grins. "That'll look awesome."  
"Right?" You beam joining him again. "Could make it a staircase to reach the top too."  
"That is a good idea." He nods thoughtfully. You both reach the buffet as Atsumu and Mika come out.  
"You two sure took a walk." Mika tilts her head curiously.   
"We were just looking into the future." You smile.  
"That sounds ominous." Daishou comments.  
"Eh? You think so?" You blink at him.  
"Yeah it kinda did." Atsumu nods. "Where did you two go?"   
".... Flabberjacks…" You say and all of them give you a confused look. You give Daishou a look for help. He sighs lightly and smiles.  
"All in good time you two." He tells them lightly.  
"Oh! That's a good one!" You gasp and he puts a hand over his face to hide an amused chuckle.  
"You two are a bit of a mystery…" Mika giggles lightly in amusement. "We should head back now Daishou, we're late for class."  
"Oops got sidetracked. See you two later." Daishou says giving you a quick hug at the same time as Mika before they both jog back. You and Atsumu watch them go before he peers at you quietly.  
"I'm not telling you." You hum starting for the station.   
"Fine. Keep your secrets." He grumbles. You look at him and flick your tongue at him in response, making him pause. "... What the hell…. No more hanging with the snake." He frowns blushing.   
"Heh. Sorry couldn't help it." You chuckle in amusement.  
"So, back to Inari?" He guesses.  
"Mhm! Oh, we should get things to make a dessert! I'll ask Samu for a recipe!" You gasp, then pause. "Or I could just call him." You murmur in thought, checking the time. "They're still on lunch break." You chew on your lip a bit before calling Osamu. He answers right away.  
'Everything okay?' He asks.  
"I'm so sorry Osamu…. But I ate your brother." You confess. Atsumu deadpans at that.   
'... It's because you haven't been eating right isn't it? Hope he doesn't make you sick.' He says with a slight chuckle making you smile.  
"Your voice is so nice on the phone…" You comment.  
"Really? In front of me?" Atsumu scoffs. "Don't hit on my twin."  
'Heh… Yours is nice too. And it sounds like you swallowed him whole.' Osamu responds in amusement. You chuckle lightly, rubbing your neck sheepishly. 'So what do you need?'  
"A dessert recipe. Tendo said the trains are going to go out before we can get back so we're heading to Kita's and I wanted to make him something before he gets homes from school." You tell him scratching your cheek.  
'Hm… Alright. I'm on my way. I'll pick up what we'll need.' He says.   
"Ah but Osamu-"  
'Im not going to let Atsumu keep hogging you to himself… And I miss you. So I'm going to come cook with you.' He says softly.   
"Awe… Hurry to me then." You smile.  
'Say no more.' He rumbles, 'See you soon.'  
"See you soon." You hang up, bouncing slightly with a smile.  
"... Stop being cute over talking to my brother…" Atsumu grumbles.   
"It's his fault for being so cute and sweet." You chuckle. He frowns more, bringing you into his side and leaning his head on yours grumpily as you both reach the station. You blink and smile a bit, rubbing his cheek softly.   
"When is it going to be my turn to take you on a date?" He asks.  
"I don't know. Bokuto is next, then Oikawa wanted to go on one too…" You purse your lips, catching his eye. "Maybe I should just make the dates for them. Though I don't know why they're all so determined about it. There's nothing special about-" His lips come over yours, cutting you off and making you stop in shock.   
"You don't get to decide that for us. I think the world of you." He breathes pulling back slightly to speak, breath dancing over your lips. You blush heavily and duck your head, hiding your face behind your hands.   
"Tsumu…" You murmur making him laugh lightly.  
"You got cute all of a sudden." He chuckles. "Come on," He leads you to get on the train, sitting down with you.   
The train departs and you lean on him, messaging Tendo briefly to find out how things are going on his end. But you don't get a response. You frown, a bit worried since he seemed to be using his foresight a lot lately.   
"Everything okay?" Atsumu asks, catching your frown.  
"Tendo's eyes used to bleed a lot when we were little. It seemed to happen every time he used his quirk. If he uses it for too long he loses his sight for a bit." You tell him frowning. "He seems to keep using his quirk a lot. I'm just worried is all… Plus the involuntary quirk activation puts him in danger too." You shift slightly. "Hope he's okay…"  
"I'm sure he's fine. He doesn't seem delicate in the least."  
"Right…" You both fall silent for the rest of the train ride. You reach Inari station and get off, starting for Kita's place. As you reach the house you catch sight of a familiar guy reaching for the door. "Osamu!" You chime, running to him. He turns about, catching your waist as you crash into him, hugging him tightly. "I missed you too." You breathe. He chuckles and Eskimo kisses you, squeezing you into his chest.  
"I love it when you greet me." He chuckles lightly.   
"Alright, let go of each other." Atsumu pulls you two apart, earning a growl from his twin.   
"No fighting." You poke their noses before knocking on the door. Kita's grandmother opens the door to give you all a warm smile.   
"The wolf and fox twins have returned. What a treat, what can I do for you?" She asks.  
"We're here to spend the night and visit with you. And I want to make something sweet for Kita when he comes home." You smile lightly.  
"He would definitely love that." She gives a wink. "Come on in. Let's get started."  
You chuckle and head in with the twins. Osamu and Grandma helping you with the dessert while you put Atsumu on look out for Kita. You pause as you finish making it and smile to yourself.   
"You know. I really enjoy this sort of thing." You breathe, putting some finishing touches on it. Osamu smiles softly peering at you thoughtfully.  
"Me too. You're really good at this too." He murmurs.  
"I taught myself. Because I didn't want to be swayed by Elinor's cooking. She always tried to help me too… I was such a stubborn kid." You admit, focusing intently.  
"That's common for those that have felt big losses." Grandma says softly, brushing some hair from your face. You pause and peer at her. "You have grown into a strong independent wolf, and your pack is forming because of your spirit."   
"Is that why ___'s a wolf to you?" Atsumu comments.  
"Mhm. Once a lone wolf, now an alpha. Such beauty, loyalty, and strength to survive." She wraps up the dessert as you straighten up, watching her quietly. She's always been warm and sweet to you, right now it was making your chest swell a bit with adoration of her.   
"Thank you Grandma." You rub your cheek, looking down.   
"No need for thanks, I'm just describing you, dear." She smiles.  
"Kita's here." Atsumu alerts. You blink and head out as Kita comes up. He pauses and smiles at you.  
"I knew you would be here when I came home." He breathes.  
"Welcome home." You hug him, tearing up slightly.   
"Hm? Something wrong?" He blinks hugging you back.  
"I love your Grandma so much." You sniff. He pauses and laughs lightly.  
"You're so cute." He chuckles, and pulls away to dry your eyes. "She loves you too by the way. That's why you're always welcome. Little Wolf." He cups your face and kisses the tip of your nose.   
"Oi." The twins call from the door, both frowning.  
"Jealous foxes…" You roll your eyes. Kita peers at them, a hint of mischief reflecting in his golden eyes.  
"They're about to be alot more jealous then." He smiles softly at you, making you blush heavily. He chuckles lightly and kisses you deeply, pulling you closer and waving the twins off with his hand.   
"OI! ___'s is mine!" Atsumu and Osamu object loudly before starting to bicker.   
"Aww, isn't that lovely." Grandma says peeking out the window, making Kita pull away in slight embarrassment.  
"Sorry… I uh… Wasn't thinking for a moment." He murmurs. You blink at him in a daze.  
"That's okay…" You manage.   
"Are you okay?"  
"Think you just… Blew my mind…"  
"Oh good. So you enjoyed that."


	28. Unforeseen

"It looks like an inhaler…" You tilt your head, looking over the device Kita had handed you.  
"Basically what it is. You don't have to shake it up. And one little canister can be used twice. It's like having a little healer with you. Just know it's not for deep injuries." He frowns lightly, the memory surfacing up. You reach over and take his hand, making him meet your gaze.  
"I'll be careful, this'll be more than enough." You assure softly, and smile as you look at it. "You're amazing, I didn't know you could make something like this."  
"It was nothing. I just wanted to help. I'll give you five canisters for now. Call me selfish but I want you to come see me if you need more." He looks to the side at the small box of canisters.  
"Sounds reasonable actually. I like coming to see you, so it won't be a problem." You shrug.  
"Good." He smiles softly. There's a cough in his doorway and you both look over at the twins who lean on the doorframe with arms folded.  
"If ___'s sleeping in here so are we." Atsumu informs.  
"Mhm." Osamu hums in agreement.  
You and Kita exchange a look at that. "Sorry Kita."  
"It's cute how possessive they are." Kita hums. "Okay, but you won't fit on my bed as you are now." He adds to the twins. They take their fox forms at that, wedging themselves between you two at that.  
"Heh, cute little foxes." You breathe patting their heads. "Guess we should-" You pause as your phone goes off and look over to find Tendo calling you. "Hey what's up?" You answer it swiftly.  
'Im… In a bit of a pickle and need a hero….' He manages, he was gasping lightly which makes your heart sink. 'I'm at the edge of Contum City in a warehouse, my right leg is broken and there's some bad guys looking for me.'  
"I'll be there soon just… Don't get hurt anymore okay?" You tell him quickly before hanging up to call Bokuto. The twins sit up looking at you in alarm.  
'___! Are you-'  
"Bokuto please. I need you to come to Kita's place and get me. Something has happened to Tendo in Contum City." You tell him, getting up quickly.  
'On my way.' He says hanging up.   
"What do I do…" You murmur pressing your fingertips together. "Inhaler thing." You stuff it in your pocket. "Wish I had my suit…" You grumble, glancing at the clothes that Kita had lent you.   
"We're coming too." Atsumu tells you.  
"Don't overload Bokuto…" You tell them going out and leaving the house to watch the sky anxiously. The twins soon follow you out as well as Kita who gives you a small wrist band with three additional canisters on it.  
"Be careful. Try to keep your head on." Kita touches your cheek.  
"I don't think I'll be able to if I see my best friend hurt." You whisper, it felt like your skin was prickly with a foreign feeling. Your right palm was starting to itch too. "Actually. It's probably not a good idea for you twins to join me." You glance at them. They pause, shifting uneasily.  
"We're going with you. If you get too out of control I'll stop you." Atsumu says.  
"Me too." Osamu nods. Kita frowns lightly, not sure what to say to comfort you.  
"Don't forget ___, you're a hero." Kita murmurs, making you pause.  
"Right." You nod. The sound of chains makes you look over just as Oikawa crashes into you. "Huh? Oikawa?" You gasp in surprise.  
"I'm here to help." He smiles, hugging you as Bokuto lands.   
"Let's go." Bokuto breathes as you meet his golden gaze. You nod and the twins take their fox forms as Bokuto takes his large owl form. You climb into the owl's back with Oikawa, the twins wedging themselves between you two before Bokuto takes off.

~*~*~

In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have called you. In his moment of pain he wasn't thinking clearly. Now all these bastards would have to live as he lowers himself to play hide and seek in this sloppy messy warehouse that was set up like rich hoarders wet dream.   
"Where are you seer?" One calls, passing his hiding place. Tendo ignores him, crafting a makeshift brace for his broken leg. He kept his left eye shut, the glow of his future sight would give him away if he left it open.  
'What a damn mess. I wasn't even prepared for something like this to happen. Something changed the course of what I saw earlier…' He thinks frowning to himself.  
"Oh seer!" The call next to his hiding place makes him frown.  
'Shut your damn mouth.' He reaches through the boxes, taking the man's dagger from his boot as he passes by. 'Annoying.' He finishes the brace and peers around. 'Hope you guys are ready. I'm coming for your eyes.' He carefully gets up, stepping to a gap in the boxes and raising his arm, stabbing out swiftly, slicing through the man's eye as he passes by. Tendo gets down, army crawling through a tunnel in the shelves as the man shrieks, holding his eye and shooting at Tendo's previous hiding place.  
"This really hurts…" Tendo mutters under his breath as the gunfire drowns the sound of his movements. He stops suddenly, looking to the side as one of his other pursuers pass by. Tendo rolls on his back, tossing the knife up and out of the pile before continuing to crawl as the other pursuer yells out when the dagger takes off the big toe of his right foot.   
"Where is he?! Why can't you imbeciles find a handicapped bastard?!" The boss calls from somewhere at the center of the warehouse.  
'Now he's just being rude.' Tendo reaches his new hiding place, quietly tearing open a box and smiling a bit, pulling out a traditional throwing knife. He sits back, looking through the small hole at the top of his hiding place. 'And…. Now.' He throws up the knife, as their flying unit goes by, slashing open her wing and making her crash into a nearby pile, opening another tunnel for him in the process. "Thank you." He mutters as she cries out, crawling through another area.   
He pauses again as more guys rush by, one dropping his 9mm. Tendo waits a moment before reaching out and picking it up. 'Okay. Now things get annoying again.' He thinks as a shock wave rips apart the tunnel he's in, making him tumble as he's uncovered. He and the boss lock eyes for an instant. Tendo fires a single bullet at him, smiling a bit. The bullet grazes the boss's temple and the man laughs.  
"Ya missed seer." The boss raises his arm to Tendo.  
"Oh no. Whatever will I do?" Tendo smirks, making the boss pause as a metal support swings into the back of him. Tendo gets to his feet, limping for the railing and jumping off, landing on a pile of mattresses that bounce him into a new hiding spot. He tenses, gripping his leg and clenching his jaw in pain.   
'Dammit…' He squeezes his eyes shut for a moment. Just a moment. A large hand comes over his throat, ripping him out of the hiding spot.   
"Got em, boss." The man calls, hopping off the pile and starting for the stairs. Tendo's eyes open, one starting to bleed as it lights up again. He points the 9mm at his captor's wrist and fires. The man cries out, dropping him. Tendo lands, taking the man's dagger from his belt and slashing the man's eye before turning and firing at the emergency lights that lit the area, making everything go dark. He swiftly moves away from his captor, pausing briefly to aim back and shoot out one of his knees.   
He should be able to escape now at least. He moves for exit but an unforeseen masked enemy steps in his way. 'Who the hell are you…' Tendo's eyes narrow and he raises the gun at them. They raise their arms, a glowing water rippling around them, shining brightly.   
"Shit." Tendo's eyes widen and he swiftly fires above them, making part of the roof come down, nearly crushing Tendo as he moves away, a slight panic coming to his chest as he crawls down another box tunnel to escape. The glow of the water starts to ripple after him, nature starting to take over everything. He glances back, gritting his teeth before looking ahead, stopping as he comes to a wall. He looks around quickly for another escape route, finding none. He sits up against the wall as the glow grows closer. "Sorry ___…" He breathes, trying to get his feet away from the glow.   
Then it all just blew away like dust, making him pause, eyes tearing up slightly as he looked over at you, the rest of the warehouse behind you had a huge hole in it. Even in the darkness, he could see a cold rage in your eyes as you look at the masked enemy.  
"What the hell do you think you're doing to my best friend?" You demand as a fight breaks out upstairs, chains flinging the villains off the second floor, landing behind the one in the black and gold mask.   
"Best friend.." The villain echoes, tilting their head. Their arm raises at Tendo and you raise your right hand, bursting the glowing water before it can touch him.   
"You want to die?" You ask dangerously. The masked villain turns their attention on you then, sending out a column of glowing water at you but you raise your right hand, bursting it all before lunging at them, fingertips of your right hand brushing the floor and bursting it. The glow of the water gives away their location, giving you an opening to tackle them to the ground, they kick you off as you get a punch in. A large shape moves behind you and you leap to the side as the masked villain sends glowing water at you, hitting the boss instead. You roll away, getting to your feet and pausing as flowers take over the man's body, roots sucking him dry before falling into a pile of soil on the floor.  
"Glow! It's time to go!" A voice shouts before a flash bang drops at the masked villain's feet. You close your eyes, leaping at Tendo and holding your right hand out toward the enemy as you do, bursting any attacks you couldn't see. Tendo holds onto you, eyes squeezing shut. The blindness from the flashbang subsides and you open your eyes, looking back to find more piles of soil where the other villains had been.  
"... Guys?" You call up to the second floor, hugging Tendo firmly.  
"We're okay." Atsumu calls down as they rush down to you guys.  
"Good thing Bokuto stopped us from coming down." Osamu comments when they reach you, looking over at the piles.   
"I did not like that glowing water. Whole body started shuddering." Bokuto shivers.   
"I don't think that villain was with them." Oikawa frowns. "You okay Tendo."  
"Mhm…" Tendo hums, hiding his face in your shoulder.   
"Here, try this." You hand Tendo the device Kita had made for you. He nods, using it but not moving his head from your shoulder. You frown heavily, rubbing his back. You've never seen him shaken before. He grunts, stiffening as a small pop sounds from his injured leg before taking another breath from the inhaler. You take the device and change the canister for him.  
"Doesn't do shit for the pain…" He grunts, holding onto you as he stiffens in pain again.  
"Sorry. This all I can do for you-" He lifts his head and kisses you before pulling back to give you a frown.  
"Thank you for coming to save me." He breathes, shaking slightly.  
"O-Of course... I'm here, Tendo." You breathe, pulling him into a tight hug. He holds onto you, closing his eyes. The others exchange concerned glances before huddling around you two and patting Tendo's back.  
"We should get out of here. If we're caught it'll look bad." Oikawa says lightly. Everyone agrees and Bokuto takes his owl form, taking off with everyone out the hole you had made in the warehouse.  
"We should go back to the dorm. I'll contact Kita on the situation when we get there." You tell Bokuto. "That okay with you Tendo?" You peer over at him.  
"Wherever you are is fine with me." He answers quietly. You blink and move closer to him at that, rubbing his arm.   
"Okay then." You nod.   
The flight there is a bit of a blur, but once you get back to the dorm you find that Tendo's leg had finished healing during the trip.   
"___!" Nishinoya and the others call coming out to greet you.   
"You okay Tendo?" Nishinoya asks, tilting his head.  
"Better than I was." Tendo responds, removing the brace he had made for his leg.  
"I'm not sure what happened back there but I'm calling it a win." Atsumu breathes.  
"I wouldn't." Tendo breathes making everyone look at him as he straightens up. "The ones that chased me in there were all killed by some chaotic villain that just seemed like they were trying out a new toy instead of a quirk." He tilts his head with a frown. "This has Claw written on it."  
"But… Their facilities were destroyed." Ryuu says frowning.  
"Only the ones that were discovered. No one knows the origin of Claw. Or if those were the only facilities. But they are in the business of giving out strong quirks to the highest bidder." Tendo yawns, staggering suddenly.  
"That's enough, let's get you cleaned up and ready for bed." You move under his arm hastily.  
"Okay." He nods tiredly as you help him inside. The rest stay downstairs to discuss the new events as you take Tendo upstairs and to your bathroom. You get some clothes from Atsumu's dresser before going back in to find Tendo trying to doze off where he stood.  
"Come on Tendo, stay awake buddy." You breathe, stripping him down to his boxers. He blinks at you sleepily and chuckles lightly.  
"Damn… I'm too tired to properly enjoy this." He murmurs.  
"Good. Less distractions for me." You joke, turning on the water and helping him into the shower so you can wash him up. "That place stunk… and you're covered in blood, especially your leg." You mutter wiping him down.  
"Is not all mine…" He breathes, starting to nod off again. You blink and pat his cheek trying to get him to stay awake longer. He blinks at you with half lidded eyes. "I was scared… I never saw them coming… You're the only one who should surprise me… It's not right… Not right…" He shakes his head starting to drift again. You frown, reaching to wake him up again before deciding to let him sleep. You finish cleaning him off before turning off the water.   
Now to get him dressed. You look down at his boxers for a few moments, reaching for the waistband before blushing heavily and stopping yourself. "I can't do it…" You murmur before going out to call someone for help, nearly running into Iwaizumi as he comes into your room.  
"Hey. You said you were going to clean him off? Need help changing his clothes?" He guesses. You press your lips together, nodding with a blush. He blinks and chuckles lightly. "Okay, I'll handle it. You won't have to see anything, okay?" He says lightly. You nod and hug him at that, making him pause. "It's okay. I got you covered." He pats your back and looks back as the twins come in. "And the twins are gonna help." He adds.   
"Hm? Yeah, what do you need?" Osamu asks. You release Iwaizumi and he quickly explains before they go into the bathroom to dress Tendo. They soon carry him out, placing him on the bed so you can wrap him up like a burrito.   
"He'll be okay, that fast healing just took a lot out of him." Iwaizumi pats your head after you rest your chin on Tendo's chest with a pout.   
"I know…" You murmur looking down. "I was so worried. He was so close to being turned into dirt… That did not look like a painless death…" The twins take their fox forms before cuddling up to you on either side.   
"You were just in time." Iwaizumi leans down to your eye level so you'll meet his dark green gaze. "He's alive because of you. Isn't that enough now?" He rubs your cheek.   
"... Yeah." You give a small smile.   
"Good. Just so you know, everyone's missed you so we're gonna sleep in here tonight." He pulls away to give a smile in return as the others start filing in with their own blankets and pillows. Bokuto quickly crawls into bed with you, moving Atsumu out of the way so he can kiss your cheek and cuddle you. You chuckle and smile closing your eyes as warmth starts to surround you.   
Everything is okay for now.

~•~•~•

_"... Have you ever thought about getting married?" He asks as you both cross the river. You blink and stop on a rock, tilting your head at him as he stops, not looking back at you.  
"Why? I'm only ten." You frown in confusion.  
"Just wondering if you did." Tendo, pokes at the ground with his walking stick. "Do you think… You would marry me?"   
"Hm… I don't know. You're always breaking your promises." You fold your arms. "I don't think I'll marry someone that does that." He pauses and turns around with a hurt expression.  
"I'll start keeping them. I promise." He frowns lightly.  
"I don't really care if it's a little promise. But if we make a big promise you have to keep it- no matter what." You point at him. He blinks at you before holding up his pinkie in response. You hook yours to it and you both smile.   
"So will you marry me someday?" He asks, tilting his head.  
"I dunno. Maybe. Unless…" You trail off and blush.  
"Unless Sakusa asks?" He giggles knowingly.   
"Shhh! Tendo!" You gasp.  
"What? No one can hear us. We're in the middle of the woods." He laughs.  
"S-Still! I'm only ten! Let's stop talking about this and go catch beetles! We're going to beat the twins this time!" You move ahead stubbornly.  
"But we've never reached the twins. We don't even know what they look like." Tendo calls.  
"They're twins they can't be that hard to miss."  
"Unless they're alone."   
"Twins can do that…. Don't laugh at me! I thought they were always supposed to be together!"  
"You're cute. I hope we get married someday."  
"Ten! I'm ten, Tendo!" _


	29. Preparations

Tendo woke up before everyone, glancing around the crowded room and blinking in surprise. You had told him about this before, but it really was a sight to see. He turns his head, finding you fast asleep with the fox twins in your arms and Bokuto cuddling up to you from behind. So cute and precious. His eyes soften as he watches you sleep. He didn't care if they clung to you, even kissed you. He just wanted to stay a part of your life for as long as he could. If he ended up with you on his arm, he would be able to say his life was well spent. Even if he had a mountain of bodies at his back. All of it would be worth it, if he could have you in the end.  
Atsumu sneezes, jolting you and Osamu awake. You blink a few times and chuckle softly, petting the fox softly. Your eyes trail to Tendo's and you pause.   
"Good morning love." Tendo greets with a small smile.  
"Good morning. Are you feeling better?" You ask.   
"I feel… Like I got turned into a burrito." He looks down at the blankets. "Oh… I recognize this." He grins. "From when I got sick and stayed over." He chuckles.  
"You kept trying to cuddle me so I had to restrain you." You remember sitting up. "But then you started rolling over me and saying you were a steam roller."   
"You were like a squeaky toy when I did it too." He laughs. You both pause and you suddenly hold him down before he can roll over you, Bokuto and the foxes. His arm slips out of the blankets, pulling you over himself and wrapping his arms and legs around you, covering your cheek with kisses and making you giggle.  
"Tendo! S-stop! That tickles!" You laugh trying to get free. "Y-You're like a snake!"  
"Bleh." He flicks his tongue at you.   
"Gah! Nu!" You chuckle, tears coming to your eyes as you laugh harder since he starts to tickle.   
"So cute! You're so cute!" He gushes, laughing as he stops tickling you, smiling at your face in amusement. "I love you." He cuddles you happily. He pauses and looks over. "Oh, good morning everyone."   
"You two sure are being cute first thing in the morning." Kuroo comments.  
"I'm not jealous. Nope not at all…" Atsumu grumbles to himself.   
"He didn't lick you did he? Sanitize." Sakusa wipes an alcohol pad on your face. You chuckle lightly at that.   
"No but thanks for this." You hum, smiling at him.  
"... I want to-"  
"No Oikawa." Iwaizumi frowns at him.  
"I'm going to make breakfast." Osamu decides, getting up.  
"Samu food!" You and Bokuto cheer. Tendo chuckles and releases you so you can get up.  
"Come on Tendo." You grin before following Bokuto out. Tendo watches you disappear with a smile, the others following you out. Sakusa shifts, rubbing his neck and making Tendo look over at him.  
"You've relaxed a bit Sakusa. Did the amnesia show you a whole new side of things?" Tendo asks.   
"Maybe… Sure let me see what it would be like if I wasn't so… Guarded around ___…" He says looking to the side.  
"Really? ___ hasn't really told me about much of that actually? Only about the kisses." Tendo smirks while Sakusa turns pink.  
"... ___ knows a lot about me and I had no idea they were paying attention." Sakusa murmurs.  
"I knew. ___ always paid extra attention to you. Even if ___ wasn't aware of it…" Tendo starts to smile, chuckling lightly. "You know, when we were kids, the best way to get ___ out of a bad mood was to tell a new fact about you. Would act like they didn't care and then peer at me curiously to find out how I knew. So cute." He glances at Sakusa who had moved a hand in front of his face in happy embarrassment.  
"I had no idea…" Sakusa murmurs.  
"That's because both of you were avoiding each other." Tendo recalls. "And ___ was so terrified of getting close to anyone else… but if it was something important to them, ___ can't help but memorize things about it…. ___ can tell you things about some of our outings that I overlooked or don't remember. I'm sure there's a lot more that ___ knows about you than you realize. Because you've always been important to ___."   
"... You're saying a lot today." Sakusa comments, still blushing lightly.  
"I just love talking about ___. The best thing that ever happened to me." Tendo smiles at the ground. "So thank you Sakusa. Even though I envy you sometimes, I wouldn't be happy if you hadn't been there for ___ when they needed someone most."   
"Are.. You okay Tendo?" Sakusa asks him carefully. Tendo blinks back and looks over at him.   
"Yeah. Am I worrying even you, Sakusa? I should probably stop getting sentimental then. Let's go eat." Tendo gets up and stretches before leading him out.   
"Tendo! Sit with me!" You wave once they come to the dining room. Tendo smiles and joins you happily, giving you a hug. "What took ya so long?"  
"Sakusa wanted to chat my ear off." Tendo gasps. Sakusa gives him a look at that and you laugh.  
"Lucky. I never get chatty Sakusa." You joke.  
"Oi…" Sakusa huffs.  
"Oh. Well that's because you two haven't hung out since he got his memories back." Tendo pulls away in thought. "Isn't your license test tomorrow?" He tilts his head.  
"Oh shit. It is." You gasp. "Wakatoshi told me about that too."   
"Wakatoshi…" Oikawa frowns lightly, puffing his cheeks.  
"Oh, did I say his first name?" You put a hand over your mouth.  
"You did, and it sounded really cute. He wouldn't mind if you called him by his first name too." Tendo chuckles in amusement.  
"Okay… Anyway. He said the first half is battle royale and the second half is rescuing the failed opponents." You recall. "So I don't gotta study." You grin doing finger guns.   
"You're so damn cute…" Tendo sighs.   
"Sounds easy enough." Atsumu comments.   
"Yeah. You would've failed a written portion." Osamu hums, bringing in the food, earning a glare from his twin.  
"You first years have today off to get ready for it." Iwaizumi informs.   
"Should probably hit the courses then." You breathe in thought. "I'm still not happy that glow water bastard got away…" You frown, looking at your right hand. Tendo blinks at you and kisses your cheek.  
"You did great. Way better than me." He smiles when you look at him. "Don't over do it. You should probably get some more canisters-- Nevermind." He chuckles, focusing on eating.   
"Kita's coming over isn't he?" You guess.  
"... Stop reading my mind. I told you that's a bad idea." Tendo objects.  
"Why- oh…" You trail off and he turns pink, straightening up.  
"D-Don't even act like you're reading them!" He protests in embarrassment.  
"Tendo…" You give a disapproving tone, hiding a smile behind your hand.  
"Don't make me tickle you, ___.” He warns.   
"Okay okay… It's been so long since I picked on you. It's still really cute when you get worked up." You chuckle. He puffs his cheeks slightly at that. You smile in amusement, kissing his cheeks in response.   
"... Stop being cute at the table." Iwaizumi tells you two.   
"Sorry." You both say and focus on eating. Tendo is the first to finish, never having a big appetite.  
"Oh. Look ___, the twins are apart." Tendo smirks a bit. You pause as some confused glances peer your way. You sit up and look at Tendo.  
"I had a dream about that last night." You say, making him blink in surprise.  
"Eh? The whole thing?" He tilts his head.  
"Mhm. It's weird though, I have no idea what triggered it." You hum, eating. He sits back watching you for a moment before looking down and smiling to himself.  
"Yeah. Weird." He breathes.  
After breakfast, everyone starts to break up, and Tendo makes a call. "I'm going to head back to Kuri now."  
"Eh? But… It's not safe for you to go alone." You frown.  
"I knew you would say that. And that's why…" He looks to the entrance as there's a knock on the door. You blink and go over to answer it.  
"Oh. Morning Wakatoshi." You greet.  
".. Pardon?" He seemed a bit taken aback.  
"Awe. You surprised him." Tendo chuckles, stepping beside you. "Sorry, I rubbed off on ___." He adds to Ushijima.  
"That's fine. Just caught me off guard." Ushijima responds. "Good morning to you by the way." He nods to you.  
"Thanks for coming to escort Tendo back. And Tendo, I want to know how you got in that situation." You say to him.  
"Of course. I'll tell you later. Have a good day. And good luck tomorrow." He hugs you, peeking about briefly. "Wakatoshi look outside at that hawk." He says. Ushijima blinks and looks out at the sky in confusion while Tendo kisses you tenderly. "I'll see you later." He breathes before heading out. "Oh, guess it flew away." He comments to Ushijima, smiling at the clear sky.  
"Why did you tell me to look for a hawk?" Ushijima asks, walking after him. You chuckle and close the door at that. Tendo chuckles looking back at the door briefly.  
"I forgot… You still having those weird dreams about turning into dust?" He asks Ushijima.  
"Hm? When did I have those?" Ushijima becomes further confused. Tendo's eyes widen before he smiles widely.  
"Nevermind. Hey Wakatoshi let's train together. I need to get stronger."  
"Hm? Okay."

"So guys listen." Ryuu waves over the first years after the second years leave. "I heard that if we all pass, the second years will take us on a camping trip." He breathes grinning. You grin and look at Sakusa who's brow twitches.  
"Ew…" Sakusa murmurs.  
"That sounds awesome." Atsumu gasps.  
"Right!?" Nishinoya grins.  
"Last time I went camping was on one of Tendo's spontaneous dates. We were not prepared at all. And then he started howling, and a nearby pack responded so we ended up sleeping in a tree… The sunrise was beautiful though." You recall with a chuckle.  
"You two have the most interesting stories." Osamu comments with a jealous frown.   
"Oh, you don't know the half of them." You chuckle lightly. "Camping with a bunch of people sounds really fun though."  
"I want smores…" Osamu breathes.  
"We gotta pass first." Atsumu reminds him.  
"If it's a battle royale, we can easily win working as a team, taking turns taking out opponents…." You hum. "Actually. Let's go to the big course. Pretty sure it has an Armageddon level we can activate and see how we do against the robots."   
"... That sounds fun." Ryuu and Atsumu grin.  
"Sounds chaotic." Osamu and Sakusa comment.  
"We should be careful though, Kiyoko has class now." Nishinoya says.  
"Yeah, and I only got one and a half canisters for the device Kita made me." You hum.   
"You should name it." Atsumu says.  
"Hmm... I got nothing." Your shoulders slump.   
"The Kita device." Atsumu says.  
"... That's the same as before." Sakusa huffs.   
"How about In-healer." Atsumu chuckles. Sakusa facepalms at that with a sigh. You snort and look away in amusement, making Atsumu's face light up.  
"I'm disowning you for that dumbass pun." Osamu shakes his head.  
"The In-healer." You snicker.  
"No ___ don't encourage the lame jokes." Osamu huffs.  
"I was about to say that exact same thing." Sakusa says.   
"Shut up. ___ liked it." Atsumu grins happily at that.  
"You're such a dork." You chuckle. "I'll just call it K.K." You decide.  
"What does that stand for?" Nishinoya tilts his head like a puppy.  
"Dunno." You lie with a shrug.  
"___, Kita's here." Kenma says, looking toward the entrance with his odd eyes.  
"Why are you using your eyes?" Atsumu asks as you get up.   
"Just checking." Kenma shrugs.  
You go out and to the main door, opening it to receive a soft knock on your forehead. "... Good morning to you too."   
"Sorry. I didn't know you were going to open the door right then." He blinks. "I brought you more canisters. How's Tendo?"  
"Thanks. And he's good, left a little bit ago. Your canisters are really helpful. His broken leg healed in about twenty minutes. Although he uh, kinda kept falling asleep after that." You say hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much Kita. I mean it." You breathe. He hugs you back, rubbing your back lightly.  
"I keep telling you there's no need for thanks. I just like seeing you healthy." He murmurs. "Sometimes I worry about you, you're not even a pro but you're always facing some kind of dangerous villain. I would be… Sad if something happened to you."   
"Awe… You're so sweet." You give him a smile before leaning up to kiss his cheek but he moves quickly to kiss your lips instead, making you blush.  
"That's because I keep stealing kisses from you." He smiles.   
"... Kita…" You hide your face in his chest at that, making him smile lightly.   
"Oi get away from ___ ya sneaky silver fox." Atsumu says poking his head into the lobby with a frown.   
"I'm just about to leave. No need to get jealous, red fox." Kita responds calmly.  
"I'm not jealous!" Atsumu grumbles his protest. Kita shakes his head as you pull away, cupping your cheek.  
"I'll see you again soon. Be safe." He tells you before heading off.  
"So, we're good to go?" Nishinoya asks peering into the lobby too.  
"Yeah. Let's suit up and go check out that Armageddon level." You toss them a smile.   
The first years of Dorm One gather in front of the large doors to the big course. Akaashi passes out earpieces to everyone in case you get separated. You input the code near the door. "Just stay together and we'll be fine." You hum. The doors ease open to darkness.   
"That's ominous…" Atsumu breathes.  
"I think I like it." Sakusa comments.  
"This is a bit scary… Let's go!" You chime running in with Nishinoya fearlessly.  
"... I'm amazed and horrified by them." Akaashi comments.  
"___…” Sakusa sighs going into the darkness swiftly.  
"He did not hesitate to follow." Futakuchi comments, Aone shaking his head quietly.   
"I'm a bit worried." Kenma breathes. Akaashi glances at him before cocking his shotgun.   
"Stay behind me." He says before heading in. Kenma blinks, lighting up slightly before following him in.  
"He's so cool." Ryuu and Osamu breathe.  
"... Tch… Wait up!" Atsumu hurries in with the rest.  
The darkness fades away, a reddish orange sky lighting up the room, robots of all shapes and sizes surrounding the group, giant ones move in the background.  
"Holy shit." Atsumu breathes.  
"They're moving!" Akaashi calls, shooting one in the head that lunged at Sakusa.  
"Right." Sakusa breathes spinning the chamber on his arm before firing a canister into a more crowded area, it explodes on impact, melting numerous robots.  
You and Nishinoya exchange a glance, rushing forward together, his deity forms, smacking a number of them back with a wind blast before picking you up and throwing you into another crowd. Your blades come out, lodging themselves into a robot's head. You kick off its chest, spinning about and severing a few heads you land, deftly slashing at the joints around you, making the batch of robots crumble.   
Akaashi flips over a big one nearby, shooting off it's head before landing at your back. His arm comes around your waist to keep you in place, rolling a grenade under the robot's legs, before turning with you a metal shield leaving a slot in his back. He uses it to shield you both from the blast, robot parts flying past you both.  
"Oh wow Akaashi." You murmur in awe, blushing lightly.   
"You're enjoying this a bit too much." He breathes.   
"You're just so cool…" You put your hands on cheeks.   
"Focus." He releases you as two large flaming foxes burst past, crashing into the robots that rushed you two. The twins change forms, switching sides and ripping through the enemies. "They look like they're having fun."  
"Kinda makes me want to step it up too." You chuckle, pulling your glove off with your teeth. Akaashi pauses, watching you for a moment. "What?" You ask. He shakes his head and mutters something before turning and firing at a charging robot. It doesn't slow it's charge so spin around Akaashi, raising your arm and bursting it as it nears.  
"You're getting really good at that." He comments, peering at your face, chest pressing against your back.   
"Yeah I don't fall apart as quickly now. Still kinda hurts though." You smile a bit.  
"Hey ___! That big one's getting close!" Ryuu calls, gaining your attention. You look between him and the big one before you both grin.  
"Mine!" You and Ryuu claim, running for it.  
"They're so hyper." Kenma murmurs, firing at some of the nearby robots.  
"Well… This is kind of fun." Akaashi admits quietly, watching after you with a small smile.   
"I'll steal that one." Sakusa fires a sharpened canister into the giant robot's head, making it melt. You and Ryuu pause, jumping out of the way as the giant robot falls.  
"Sakusa you thief!" You and Ryuu yell at him in a huff. Sakusa and Akaashi chuckle at that, Akaashi taking out a few that threatened your back.   
"Whoa! The twins started a fire tornado over there!" Nishinoya gasps pointing.  
"That looks so cool!" You gasp, jumping onto the defeated giant.   
"That's dangerous, do they even know how to control that?" Sakusa huffs firing another canister at an approaching group of robots.  
"Probably not, might want to avoid that all together." Akaashi comments, joining you on the robot, throwing a few grenades.   
"Wish we had some actual opponents. It's not really challenging when we don't have to hold back." You breathe, bursting a few nearby ones.  
"That's true." Akaashi nods.  
"How about some of us play the enemy?" Nishinoya grins. "I get Sakusa!"  
"That sounds fun actually. I'll fight you guys." You smile.  
"I'm with ___.” Akaashi decides.  
"... Can I just fight the robots…?" Kenma frowns lightly.  
"Sure." You pat his head. "Keep them off of us."  
"Well, looks like Aone's on that team. I'll join you." Futakuchi comments, leaning on the robot as Aone points at you.  
"I'm fighting ___!" Ryuu and Atsumu declare.  
"I'll back you up." Osamu tells you.  
"Alright. On the mark…." You pull your glove back on, blades coming out. The two teams face each other while Kenma busies himself with handling the robots. A laser slices the ground between the teams and everyone suddenly moves. Atsumu and Ryuu lunge at you but Futakuchi and Akaashi get in their way. Futakuchi gives Atsumu what seemed like a light push, but sent him flying. Akaashi knocking Ryuu back with his shield.  
You spin around Akaashi, catching the canister Sakusa had fired and throwing it at Some before it busts. You and Sakusa lock eyes and you feel a smirk form on your lips.  
"Come for me." He breathes quietly but you hear him loud and clear.

Takeda rushes into the course lobby, frowning worriedly. "Why would they use the Armageddon level!" He gasps and pauses, finding Ukai watching the main screen calmly. "Are they okay?"  
"They're better than okay. They got tired of fighting the robots and now they're all fighting each other in teams." Ukai breathes. "It's hard to believe these are some amateur first years. They fight like pros and they're growing so fast…"  
"Is it hard to believe? With what they've been through?" Takeda murmurs.  
"No… But I'm curious about what kinds of kids we'll get next year." Ukai smiles a bit. "Even if the world suddenly devolves tomorrow, I think these kids will rise above it."  
"In that case. We'll have to power up the Armageddon level." Takeda smiles, relaxing a bit. 

It took an hour before the fight ends with a draw. You fall back, head smacking on a robot arm. "Ow…" You grumble. Most of the stronger robots were unlucky enough to get caught up in the fight, promptly getting destroyed. The level was pretty much cleared now.  
"Come here." Akaashi moves his arm under your head as he lays nearby. You shift closer to him and relax.  
"Sakusa punches like a moose." You huff.  
"Excuse me?..." Sakusa huffs, sitting back against another robot. "That punch was meant for Akaashi.  
"I know. I had to protect my partner." You retort.  
"Thank you." Akaashi hums.  
"I can't feel my hands." Osamu says, sprawled out somewhere close by. "Are they still frozen?"   
"Looks like it." Kenma comments.  
"I got whiplash from frickin Futakuchi." Atsumu complains.  
"That was fun." Futakuchi smirks.  
"I'm still nauseous from Noya spinning me around." Ryuu says, sounding like he was going to vomit.   
"I can't move now." Nishinoya grumbles into the ground.  
"Dibs." You sit up at that, trying to get up and falling over. Akaashi catches you and you both go down. "Still got dibs! I'll carry you when I can Noya." You declare, resting your head on Akaashi's chest.  
"Awesome." Noya chuckles.  
"So. Who was the most badass just now?" Atsumu hums.  
"Akaashi." You and Kenma say.  
"He didn't even get hurt." Kenma hums.  
"Of course not, ___ was acting like a human shield." Sakusa scoffs.  
"I am the meatest shield." You smile.   
"... Damn. I'm too tired to make a joke about that." Atsumu sighs.  
"Thank god.." Sakusa and Osamu mutter.  
"I thought ___ was really cool." Akaashi comments, making you pause and peer at his face, pink dusts his cheeks and he avoids your gaze. "You've gotten really good with those blades."  
"Yeah. And when you started to hit back Sakusa's canisters, that was a real pain." Ryuu hums.  
"I'm going to have to do something about that." Sakusa comments.  
"Hey. Is it just me or does ___'s suit kinda remind you of Midnight's?" Atsumu says suddenly. There's a pause at that and you frown lightly.   
"Well, it's a smart design. Flexible but strong, blades for close combat and defense." You point out.  
"True…" Atsumu hums distractedly.  
"You better not start on your conspiracy theory crap again." Osamu huffs.  
"I'm not. I just noticed it while we were fighting is all." Atsumu hums. You yawn and sit up again, looking at your arms quietly before getting up and going to Nishinoya.   
"Alright, let's go buddy." You flip him onto his back and pick him up, his head resting on your chest.  
"___… I didn't mean anything by it, don't be mad." Atsumu frowns up at you from the ground nearby.  
"I'm not mad. Just too tired to process that right now. I feel gross so I'm going to shower after I get Nishinoya in his room." You assure, starting for the doors that had been open since the level got completed. The others manage to get to their feet and follow you out.  
You reach the dorms, getting greeted by the second years when you enter. "Wow. You guys look rough. How many courses did you go through?" Kuroo chuckles.  
"One." You and Kenma answer.  
"Ohh, you must've went to the Armageddon level right?" Oikawa smiles.  
"Oikawa is really familiar with that one." Iwaizumi comments as Nishinoya gets down from your arms.  
"Yeah. We got bored so we fought each other." Nishinoya chuckles grinning.  
"So much fun." Futakuchi hums going by.  
"Pretty sure that guy's a sadist." Atsumu comments, glaring after him.  
"Geez you guys did that to each other? No wonder you look rough." Iwaizumi huffs.  
"I want to nap." You yawn, trying to go up the stairs but almost fall over. Akaashi smoothly catches you, picking you up and going up the stairs calmly. "Whoa… Akaashi." You cover your blushing face.  
"What? I'm in good condition right now thanks to you." He blinks at you.   
"That guy's so smooth…" Atsumu growls.  
"He's also really shy so I think we'll be fine." Bokuto chuckles lightly.  
"Sorry. I don't believe that after seeing them fight together." Osamu states.   
"I got jealous a few times watching them." Nishinoya admits.  
"Huh?"   
Akaashi sets you down once you reach your room and you stretch, yawning quietly. "Thanks Akaashi, you're the best." You send him a smile. He gives a small smile in return.   
"You sure think a lot of me." He comments straightening up. "Don't fall asleep in the shower." He adds, wiping a smidge of dirt from your cheek. You tense slightly at that, blinking at him. "What's that look? You're giving me some really interesting ones today." A hint of amusement comes to his eyes.   
"Oh. Am I? Wasn't aware." You stammer, looking to the side. He hums and pulls away.  
"Let's work hard tomorrow too." He breathes before heading out. You blush heavily, and bow your head.  
"That one is definitely not good for my heart either…." You grumble.


	30. Test Start

You stretch as your alarm goes off and pout, turning it off before cuddling up to Osamu as he changes from his fox form, burying your face in his chest, leg wrapping around him. He blinks and huffs lightly, nuzzling your hair.   
"Wake up." He murmurs.  
"No… Still sleepy." You grumble, wrapping your arms around him.   
"I gotta make breakfast." He rubs your side. You grumble a protest, stubbornly letting him go and turning to reach for Atsumu. Osamu quickly pulls you back in. "I'll do something to wake you up." He warns.  
"No… Too sleepy." You breathe.   
"I warned you." He hums huskily, tipping your chin. Before he can do anything he stops as someone touches his neck.  
"I don't know what you're about to do to ___, but I'm against it." Sakusa says in a low voice, before leaning over him and picking you up.   
"Kiyoomi~" You sing half asleep as he carries you out of the room, arms wrapping around his neck.   
"Wake up ___. I know how weird you can be in the morning." He says. You blink at him, holding back a yawn.  
"Where are you taking me?" You ask as he goes up to the third floor.  
"To the roof. The sun's about to rise." He says, going up the last flight of stairs and opening the door, stepping onto the roof.   
"Kiyoomi said I look nice against the sunrise." You chuckle sleepily before kissing his mask where his lips were, making him freeze in surprise. "Hehe… You turned into a stone." You tease.  
"... You're so gross first thing in the morning." He grumbles with a blush. You hum, easing off his mask and making him pause, eyes narrowing at you uneasily. "Contain yourself ___."   
"Just one kiss Kiyoomi." You pout, "Nothing bad happened before." You yawn, hiding your face in his neck. His brow twitches and he sits on the ledge surrounding the air units with you.   
"You're too careless when you're half asleep…" He points out softly.   
"No… I'm just very determined." You pull back to give him a look. He straightens, eyes narrowing as another blush rushes his face.   
"Just… One." He breathes. You smile at that, leaning up and giving him a kiss before cuddling him in content.   
"I missed you." You hum.   
"I haven't gone anywhere." He reminds you.  
"You didn't… But you kinda did. Like you took a trip and left your super cute twin here to tempt me." You puff your cheeks. "He was dangerous, even Atsumu was scared of him."   
"That's because you're both dorks." He smirks.   
"... Rude." You poke his cheek.  
"It's true. The whole In-healer thing just proved it." He retorts, and you snicker.  
"In-healer…" You echo before chuckling.  
"Exactly." He breathes, poking your nose. Your nose wrinkles and you give him a look.  
"Hey Kiyoomi. If we kiss a lot do you think I can become immune to your venom." You ask, peering at his lips.  
"Stop looking at me like you're going to eat me. I will drop you over the ledge." He warns, lips betraying him with a smirk.   
"I'm hungry and you paralyzed Osamu-" You break off eyes drawn to the sunrise, stealing whatever you had been about to say. Sakusa's eyes soften, watching the sunrise illuminate your beautiful eyes, and the rest of your face.  
"I don't know about the venom but…" You look at him and he steals a kiss. "I wouldn't mind trying." He breathes. You blink a few times before grinning happily.  
"Really?" You sit up a bit and he places a finger to your lips.  
"But I'm going to limit you to two a day." He hums. "Wouldn't want you to get too used to it."  
"But… You just used the last one…" You murmur.   
"... It's your fault for looking so beautiful just now." He frowns.  
"My fault!? I was just watching the sunrise and you stole my breath away." You defend, returning the frown. He frowns more, glancing at your lips briefly. "Do it. I dare you."   
"You're the absolute worst." He hisses before leaning in and kissing you again. He presses his forehead to yours when he pulls away, eyes looking into yours.  
"You have the deepest eyes." You murmur   
"You keep saying that, what does that even mean?"  
"Means I keep getting lost in them." You wink. He deadpans at that, making you snicker.  
"That's it. I'm dropping you off the ledge." He gets up and you swiftly roll out of his arms.  
"Oh… I missed that. Me and Tendo used to play a game with pickup lines. The first to get flustered loses. I think we were at a tie when we last played." You hum straightening up. "Wanna play?"  
"... That's the only one I know." He admits.  
"I'll teach you some more later." You decide.  
"Please don't that sounds really embarrassing." He shakes his head.  
"Maybe for you. Sounds like a lot of fun to me." You smirk.  
"Get away from me." He huffs smiling a bit as he looks away. You grin and head downstairs at that, smiling to yourself. Now you just HAD to use a pickup line on someone. As you reach the second floor, you spot your target. Akaashi.   
"Hey Akaashi, did you die recently? Because you look like an angel." You smirk. He stops and blinks at you before sighing quietly and coming over, leaning near your ear.  
"Are those really your lips? Because it looks like they have my name written all over them." He breathes before calmly walking away and into his room. You gap at the door with a heavy blush at that.  
"Okay… Apparently I'm no match for him." You whisper going to your room. You go in as Osamu finishes getting dressed with a small scowl. "Morning Samu. You okay?"   
"Yes." He sighs, peering at you. "I see you've finally woken up." He comments looking down. "Are you ready for today?"  
"Not really, I didn't really sleep last night, and I really tried." You sigh lightly. He blinks, and rubs his cheek.  
"Well, maybe I can make you something to eat that'll wake you up. It won't do us no good if you're tired during the test." He says coming over and giving you a hug.   
"Mmm." You hug him back, wanting to fall asleep again.  
"... No, wake up." He pulls away with a chuckle, tapping your cheek.  
"Fine…" You grumble. He shakes his head and tells you to get ready before going out. You rub your eyes before grabbing some clothes and going to change in the bathroom. You go back out and head downstairs, bumping into Oikawa in the lobby.   
"Morning ___, are you ready for your test?" He smiles, arms opening to you. You blink and immediately hug him, nuzzling his chest and starting to fall asleep instantly. He blinks when you don't respond, peering at your face. His jaw drops and he gently scoops you up, starting to grin, sparkles coming off of him.   
Iwaizumi comes down the stairs and pauses, squinting at Oikawa's bright face. "Stop it. What…" He blinks at you fast asleep.  
"I was chosen!" Oikawa whispers excitedly.  
"... Wait, what?" Iwaizumi blinks in confusion.   
"I was chosen." Oikawa cuddles you happily.  
"No. ___ needs to wake up," Iwaizumi moves to take you away but chains surround Oikawa.  
"... I refuse. ___ can take the next one." Oikawa grumbles, holding you closer.  
"Shittykawa…" He growls.  
"No. I never get alone time with ___, it's not fair." Oikawa says stubbornly, cheeks puffing slightly.   
"What's going on?" Kuroo huffs, avoiding the chains as he and Bokuto come downstairs.  
"Oikawa is holding ___ hostage." Iwaizumi sighs.  
"___ chose to fall asleep on me. I am the chosen one." Oikawa informs with a huff.  
"So we just gotta wake ___ up." Kuroo concludes.  
"Don't you dare." Oikawa glares.  
"I got this." Bokuto breathes, stepping forward. Oikawa frowns, shifting uneasily. "Samu food!" Bokuto calls.   
"Samu food." Your eyes open and you yawn, peering about before spotting Bokuto. "Kotaro." You reach for him. He blinks and grins as the chains slump.   
"Ah… But…" Oikawa steps back with a small frown. You pause and look at his face. "I don't want to let go yet…"   
"Aww." You hug his head. "Dorm President is so sweet." You hum as he pauses.  
"___, you don't have to go this time. You can get the next one. Stay with me and let me spoil you." He murmurs with a pout.   
"But I wanna fight with everyone. They're all so cool I don't want to miss a second." You gasp, getting out of his arms. "But don't look so sad. We'll spend time together soon, okay?"  
"... Fine… Or I could just kidnap you." He tilts his head cutely, chains rattling around you. Everyone instinctively stiffens at that. You step back in surprise, mind going blank. "... I'm kidding guys…" Oikawa assures, chains retracting. "Although I think I could get away with it."  
"I'm going to hit you." Iwaizumi pops his knuckles, stepping in front of you.   
"I-I was just kidding, don't be mad Iwa-chan." Oikawa smiles uneasily. You blink and hug Iwaizumi from behind, resting your chin on his shoulder, making him freeze.  
"Don't be mad Iwa-chan." You hum. "Oikawa just wanted to cuddle."  
"... You always take his side." Iwaizumi grumbles, looking away from you.   
"Because you're a bit scary Iwa-chan." You murmur.  
"... You think I'm scary..?" Iwaizumi deflates at that.  
"Just a little bit. Don't ever wanna fight you." You pat his back.   
"Same." Bokuto and Kuroo pipe in.   
"Time to eat!" Osamu calls and everyone files into the dining room to eat.  
"Wow. This looks great." You gasp. Bokuto eyes your food with a hungry glint, so you bring his chair closer to yours, making him light up at that. "Samu made mine look really nice right?" You chuckle offering him a bite. He softens with a smile, taking a bite before leaning into you with a hum.  
"Damn owl…" Oikawa, Atsumu, and Kuroo mutter.  
"And that's why you're getting bigger servings." Osamu sighs as you eat cheerfully, Bokuto also helping you with your plate.   
"Mm… You should eat some more meat ___, you're going to need a lot of strength today." Bokuto breathes, offering you a bite.  
"I think I'll be fine." You hum and take the bite. "But thanks." You smile, licking your lips. He pauses and hugs you, starting to pout.  
"I just realized I might not see you for the rest of the day." He murmurs.  
"The testing sight is that far?" Nishinoya asks.  
"Yeah. You leave in an hour and won't be back until after sundown. The test itself depends on the number of participants, they choose the times depending on that. But I think overall it should take about thirty minutes to finish both parts." Iwaizumi informs.  
"Most of your time goes to the travel, the registration, and then the processing afterwards." Kuroo steals Bokuto's entire plate as he speaks.   
"But it gives you plenty of time to meet the other heroes all over." Oikawa smiles.  
"Or in Oikawa's instance, be surrounded by adoring fangirls." Daichi deadpans. Oikawa chuckles sheepishly at that, rubbing his neck.  
"I'm not surprised he's that popular though." You comment, leaning your head against Bokuto's.   
"Are you my fan ___?" Oikawa asks lightly.   
"Hmm…" You close your eyes. "Yeah. I guess so." You nod. He grins at that. "I'm everyone's fan here." He now deflates, scowling slightly.  
"Yeah but if you had to pick your favorite hero here who would it be?" He asks.   
"Now why do you gotta ask a hard question like that…" You grumble in thought, trying to decide. "Does it have to be someone here?" You ask.  
"Huh? Who else is there?" Oikawa seemed to be getting a bit distraught now.   
"How about we keep it in the dorm…" Sugawara hums.  
"Mmm…" You frown in thought.   
"Come on it can't be that hard." Atsumu taps the table.  
"How about your favorite second year hero-"  
"Bokuto." You answer. Oikawa puts his head on the table at that.  
"If you couldn't handle the answer why did you ask?" Iwaizumi sighs.  
"I really thought it would be me…" Oikawa sighs while Bokuto hugs you even tighter now, cuddling your cheek.   
"I'm winning." Bokuto breathes happily. There's a pause and you blink in confusion as light glares are tossed his way.  
"Well, what about your favorite first year hero?" Nishinoya asks.  
"That's what I was having the hardest time with. You're all so damn cool." You put a knuckle to your chin, closing your eyes. "Off of the top of my head I wanna say Sakusa, but then Akaashi is so cool and calm too, and his quirk can do so much. Then Noya's quirk is super helpful in a fight and he's so warm and cheerful…. The twins somehow make you feel at ease because it almost looks like they're just playing around when they take down enemies. Ryuu's super strong and reliable. Futakuchi's quirk is awesome and kinda fun to watch him fight. Aone's a defensive beast on the battlefield too. Kenma's fighting style is really something too, max strategy that takes the least effort so he doesn't get tired in a fight…"   
"You really are having a hard time picking…" Iwaizumi blinks as you continue rambling about your classmates.   
"It's so cute when ___ starts rambling about us." Osamu sighs with a light blush.  
"Alright. We get it." Sakusa puts on a glove to cover your mouth, pink dusting his cheeks. You blink back and blush lightly, hiding your face in Bokuto's shoulder.  
"Ah s-sorry." You murmur.   
"So cute." Bokuto hugs you with a grin.  
"Alright first years get ready to leave. You have less than an hour before the bus comes." Iwaizumi says as he finishes eating. "And good luck. We're cheering for you." He adds as he gets up and heads out.   
"We should start getting to class." Kuroo says, getting up as well. He pats your head before leaving. Oikawa and Bokuto give you big hugs before heading out after them.  
The first years get ready and spend the time they have left chatting about strategies. When the bus gets there, Takeda leads you all on, Akaashi sitting beside you. The bus soon departs and you shift uneasily.  
"Nervous?" Akaashi guesses softly.   
"Maybe a little bit. Or it's excitement, not sure which to be honest." You rub your hands together, looking at your right glove quietly. He blinks, watching your hands for a moment before offering his.   
"If it helps." He murmurs when you pause and look at him. You blush lightly before taking his hand, starting to trace his palm quietly. He blinks and looks away as you focus on his hand, a small smile coming to his lips. After a while your head leans on his shoulder, making him pause and look over to find you had fallen asleep. Pink comes to his cheeks and he closes his eyes with a light frown before looking over and adjusting your hoodie so you wouldn't get cold during the ride. He carefully shifts closer to you, a shy frown coming to his lips as he cuddles you, closing his eyes and drifting off as well. 

"Welcome to the Subarashi License Test! I am Hibarida." The opening ceremony starts after all of the candidates are finally assembled before the giant arena. You gasp quietly, smacking Atsumu's arm happily as you watch the pro. Atsumu chuckles in amusement, grinning excitedly. You feel a tap on your arm and look over, being greeted by Hiro. You smile and give him a hug in greeting.   
"Today you'll all be subjected to two tests. One for combat and the other for rescuing. The first test is simple, take down five of your colleagues. The corners of the pentagon on the vests you were handed will light up once they sense you've rendered an opponent unconscious. Once your pentagon fully lights up you may make your way to the safe building located at the center of the pentagon. I will explain the second test after the first is completed. Since we have such a big group this time around, your time limit is twenty minutes. Line up at your designated entrance now. I wish you all the best of luck." Hibarida finishes.   
"So glad he's up and about again." You comment cheerfully.  
"Right? That guy is awesome." Atsumu chuckles.  
"Hm? He hasn't contacted you guys yet? He came by my school last week." Hiro says, peering at his paper. "Ah. Gotta get to my entrance. Good luck. I'm going to avoid you since I want to pass." He gives a wave before taking ghost form and zipping away.   
"I didn't know he was going for a hero too." You breathe.   
"There's probably going to be more people we recognize here. But don't forget why we're here." Sakusa says, taking the lead. You nod and everyone follows after him quietly.   
The metal doors slide open as the start siren echoes the area. You and Nishinoya look at each other. He offers a fearless smile that puts you at ease. You return the smile before looking ahead.  
"Let's go!" You and Nishinoya say together, rushing ahead. The others quickly follow, rushing onto the multi terrain field. An opponent rushes for your group, suddenly twisting about and producing a tornado at you.   
"Twins!" You call and the fire foxes rush past, producing a fire tornado, crashing into the other and dispersing it, the opponent getting sent into the sky. "Nishinoya."  
"Go finish em." He chuckles, deity tossing you after the opponent.   
"Sorry buddy, that was a nice surprise attack." You smile when you reach him, fist slamming down into his head. He crashes to the ground and your first corner lights up. Ryuu catches you as you near the ground.  
"That was a mean punch. Almost feel bad for him." He chuckles, setting you down.  
"I just wasn't expecting him to go down that easily." You comment.   
"Don't let your guard down, the next one might not be so easy." Sakusa says, looking at something before firing a canister over the trees. A few moments later his entire pentagon lights up. Everyone stops to deadpan at him. "Oh… Should've waited to use that…" He mutters.  
"Well, I guess we will be fine if you go on ahead." You chuckle in amusement.  
"Don't take long ___." He meets your gaze. "I don't care if the rest of you pass, but it'll be really disappointing if you manage to fail." He adds as he heads for the center.   
"... He's seriously O.P sometimes…" Atsumu scoffs.  
"Focus. We've been spotted." Akaashi fires a tranquilizer into the trees, one of his pentagon corners soon lightning up. "Right. Let's go through the forest area, I can smell about ten in there." Atsumu says.  
"The rock terrain has about twenty though." Osamu points out.   
"That's all open though, it could be hard to defend there." Kenma comments.  
"Well we have Aone's ice and ___'s burst to shield us from sight and attacks." Akaashi points out.   
"And twenty points would be more profitable with our numbers." Kenma murmurs before nodding. "Let's go with the rock terrain then." The twins lead the way now, Kenma watching from the back. "We have guests up on the cliff."   
"Got it." Akaashi tosses a flashbang up onto the cliff. There's a burst of light and some fall off the cliff, only to be caught and knocked out by the twins and Nishinoya.   
"Incoming!" Futakuchi alerts as a trimmer shakes the area. Rocks start to tumble down toward the group. You burst a few that were tumbling toward Kenma. Akaashi crashes into you, both of you narrowly dodging a rock. A small orb of light is tossed off the cliff at you both. You hold onto Akaashi, right hand reaching to burst it. But nothing happens, it touches your hand and light envelopes you and Akaashi.  
The light fades and you blink up at the trees. Akaashi gets up, pulling you to your feet and looking about quickly. "A teleport quirk." He frowns.  
"Shit. That's gonna be a problem." You look about, blades coming out. "Should we go back there?"   
"They've probably been teleported too." He points out. "Let's do what we can on our own. We just need eight knockouts between us."   
"Right." You nod. Red glints in the shadows and you both swiftly dodge as blood crystals strike a nearby tree. "Akaashi." You say promptly, moving behind a tree.  
"Yep." He responds, firing a tranquilizer at the attacker, but she slips away swiftly. "Trees are kind of a nuisance for attacking."  
"I can clear them." You offer, peering about warily.   
"Nah. The cover is also appreciated. Let's move toward the center." He says. You nod and you both move together, keeping an eye out for opponents. A muddy scent reaches your nose just before the ground beneath you softens into mud, making you sink to your thighs. You fall forward but Akaashi grabs your waist, keeping you upright. Something rises from the mud, making you both stiffen as the golem raises its arm. "You can clear the mud." Akaashi whispers against your ear.   
"Kay." You close your eyes, right arm swinging out and bursting the mud around you both. Akaashi swiftly picks you up, dodging the golem and swiftly moving for cover.   
"I caught sight of the one using this quirk. Send up dust around us and go that way, bursting whatever trees you come into contact with. You'll find him. Take him out, while I handle his comrade." Akaashi instructs.  
"On it." You nod, bursting the forest floor around you before rushing the way he had pointed. You take out the trees, keeping you out of sight. The mud tries to slow you but you burst it as well. A guy soon comes into view through the particles. He pauses, eyes locking with yours as you swing, fist meeting his temple. He staggers and swings back at you, connecting with your jaw. You kick him back, shaking your head briefly before lunging at him and flipping onto your hands, twisting your body while sending up particles, kicking the side of his head and sending him tumbling. Your second pentagon corner lights up.   
Someone falls to the ground behind you and you look over to see a girl with a tranquilizer dart in her back. "Gotta thank Sakusa, his toxins really work fast." Akaashi hums, walking up as his third corner lights up.   
"Heh sure do." You smile and straighten up. "Let's keep going."   
You both manage to take out one more before you leave the forest, coming to a river area. "Doesn't look like our comrades are in this area either." Akaashi murmurs.   
"That's okay, they're probably only needing one more take down like you." You say optimistically. Your right shoulder feels a slight tingle, but before you can instinctively move out of the way, a bluish light arrow pierces it. "Tch. Ow." You gasp, blood leaving the wound. You grip your shoulder, another tingle resonating from your forearm. Akaashi moves to grab you but you knock him back, leaning away as an even bigger arrow rips through the space between you two.   
"___!" Akaashi gasps but the water of the river behind him rises up and sweeps him away in an instant.   
"Akaashi!" You call after him worriedly. You quickly flip away, dodging another arrow feeling your cheek getting sliced. You move behind a tree, taking in a breath from K.K. 'Calm down. Where did it come from?' You think, closing your eyes. The tree is pierced by a massive arrow above your head. You look up at the arrow before it disappears with a bluish flicker. It almost reminded you of the forcefield that had separated you from your friends back in Inari. 'Straight behind.' You think, diving away as the top part of the tree falls. You aim your right hand at the patch of trees behind you, arm coming undone before you burst it.   
You catch sight of your attacker as he comes through the particle cloud, making you pause, reforming your arm. "Shirabu…"   
"Sorry ___, I couldn't help myself when I saw you." He breathes, eyes holding a cold glint. "You sure have a good sense though. I don't normally miss."  
"You uh seem kinda unhappy to see me." You comment, feeling a bit nervous.  
"That's because Ushijima was just talking about having a chat with the headmaster about his views on quirks." Shirabu pulls back as the other points at you, an arrow forming between his index fingers. "The last person that did that was forced to leave the school."  
"Your headmaster sounds like a dick.." You state without thinking. His eyes glint and you swiftly dive out of the way as he fires another arrow. "I don't want to fight with you Shirabu! But I'm about to!"  
"Good. Show me just how good you are. Tendo's precious little friend." He sneers, firing another at you. This one slices the back of your shoulder, making you wince, blades coming back out. You charge him at that, making him hop back, the arrow he had just formed, splitting into two blades. You swing at him and his blades deflect yours. You twist and swing your leg into his side, knocking him off balance before spinning about and withdrawing your blades as you land a blow on his neck. He grabs your arm, moving to throw you over his shoulder but you swiftly hook your leg around his and reverse it.  
He coughs as you sling him into the ground, swiftly restraining his arms and raising your right fist to knock him about. You can't follow through though. He blinks up at you with challenge in his eyes. "I can't." You frown.  
"You… Are you a fool? Don't take pity on me! You can't show a villain mercy." He snaps, glaring up at you.  
"I know that! I just… Don't want to hurt your face." You frown. He gaps at you at that, pink rising to his cheeks.  
"Then don't hit me in the face you idiot!" He shouts.  
"Well I don't want to hurt the rest of you either…"   
"Then what do you plan to do?! The moment you let me up I'll kick your ass! So do something!" He tells you. You open your mouth but a giant snowball comes flying at you both from a nearby cliff. You loosen your grip, looking over and raising your right hand, bursting it. Shirabu swiftly frees himself, slinging you onto your back and sitting on your stomach as he fires an arrow at the one who had sent the snowball. The arrow turns into a ball smacking them in the head. The fourth light on his pentagon lights up.   
"Wow." You blink up at him in surprise. He glares down at you at that, raising his fist. You tense slightly, closing an eye. His fist comes down, but stops, making him grit his teeth. A tick mark comes to his temple. You blink at him in confusion as he takes in a deep breath, gripping your shoulders.   
"Do something! I wasn't even holding your arms down dammit!" He shakes your shoulders roughly. "And don't go looking at me in awe right after I said I was going to kick your ass! What's wrong with you?"   
"B-But you looked so cool from this angle." You manage, head spinning slightly.  
"Tch." He puts a hand over his face and gets up, pulling you up as well he calms down and fixes you with a glare that seems to be saying. 'This means nothing. I don't acknowledge you in the least. Fool. You're a damn fool.'   
"Um… Are you okay?" You blinks, touching his arm. He jerks away from you with pink cheeks.  
"I'll let you go this time. But don't get any weird ideas." He growls before taking off.   
"Damn. I still need two." You sigh. "I hope Akaashi is alright." You frown peering about. You decide to go back to the river to follow it, pausing when you spot your teammate walking up, soaking wet and the pentagon on his vest fully lit. "Akaashi!" You gasp, going over and hugging him. He blinks, pink coming to his cheeks. "You're all cold and wet. Are you okay?" You rub his cheeks worriedly. He tenses slightly, closing his eyes.  
"I'm fine. You don't need to worry, I'll make something to dry off." He assures.   
"Okay. Good job on passing." You smile, releasing his face. He blinks at you, glancing at your pentagon before touching the center of it. You pause as he leans over coming nose to nose with you.  
"Get this lit up. I'll wait for you at the safe zone." He breathes softly, making you blush.  
"Y-Yes. Right away." You nod quickly. He smiles lightly at that before going past you. He closes his eyes as pink suddenly covers his face, touching his chest as he walks on. "He's so cool and calm…" You mutter watching his back in awe.   
A tremor resonates from a nearby area up ahead. You swallow and nod to yourself. "Okay, time to go big." You breathe, rushing on. You follow the tremors to a stone valley, a giant guy swings his arm at a cliff face, odd green eyes searching for something. "... Maybe not that big…" You cough before pausing as red and blue flames force him away from the cliff. "Dammit Miya…." You run toward the giant he moves back as the large fire foxes leap at him. He moves to swing his arm but you swiftly burst a whole beneath his left leg, making him fall instead. Osamu connects with his head at that. The force seemed to be enough as he shrinks, falling toward the ground, you swiftly leap, catching the now small guy. Atsumu lands on another opponent nearby, knocking them out.   
"Yes! Just in time ___!" Atsumu cheers, his and Osamu's pentagons lit up.   
"That was close you two!" You snap, setting the guy down gently. They jump slightly at that.  
"Sorry, we were falling anyway," Atsumu says holding up his hands. "You still need two? You're slacking." He frowns though he was trying to tease you.   
"Don't give me that worried look! I got time!" You huff, anxiety rising. You were going to be left behind. Osamu places a hand on your cheek, making you pause.  
"There's at least five in that cave system. Go get your last two points." He says nodding to an opening in the cliff. You nod and rush on, the twins watching after you. "Too bad the rescue doesn't count on this one. We were seriously lucky ___ appeared."  
"Right?... Not much we can do now though. Let's wait at the safe zone." Atsumu says, but doesn't move, looking toward the cave with a small frown. "... How much trouble would I get into if I kept fighting?" He wonders.  
"Let's not risk it bro." Osamu pushes him toward the safe zone. "And don't forget, this is ___ we're talking about here."  
You pause, reaching darkness, and swallow, debating if you should use the light on your armor. A hand suddenly reaches toward you from the darkness, you lean back, instinctively kicking up and meeting their chin, making your fourth pentagon corner light up.   
'Oh, okay then.' You think, stepping over him and rushing into the darkness. You turn on the light on your armor in time to stop before hitting a wall. You turn, following it along until light appears ahead. You turn off your light as you approach it. As you reach a small lit cavern, a piece of wall leaps at you, turning into someone as he swings a stone leg at you. Your arms move up instinctively, shielding your head before you're sent into a wall. "Ow." You cough but before you can move to dodge the next hit, a pair of arms leave the wall and pin you in place.  
"Sorry ___.” Hiro breathes next to your ear.  
"You picked the wrong cave." The stone guy chuckles, the stone residing from his upper body and he takes in a deep breath as if he had been under water. "Lights out." He moves to swing but a fist connects with the side of his face, sending him tumbling. You blink at the figure wearing a silver fox mask.   
"Time to go." Hiro disappears back through the wall. You and the silver mask look at each other and you warily raise your fists. He pauses, suddenly grabbing you and pulling you away from the wall as spikes come out suddenly. You wince as a few dig into your back, breaking the skin.  
"Damn. So close." A girl's voice sighs. You blink toward the voice right hand swiftly bursting the floor as spikes rush at you both. Silver Fox swiftly scoops you up, carrying down into the dark tunnels. Your body twitches slightly, first instinct was to knock him back, but his scent was familiar to you. He soon stops beneath a small sliver of light, looking back where you both had come from.   
"You got hurt." He looks back to you, familiar eyes blinking at you.   
"... Kita?" You tilt your head.  
"Even like this you recognize me?" He seems surprised, lifting the mask to give you a small smile. "That makes me absurdly happy." You gasp in shock and hug him.  
"What are you doing here?!" You ask.  
"I decided to take the hero course this year. I'm taking the test too." He hums. You pull back and look at his pentagon. "We both need one more."   
"Then let's team up." You smile.  
"We already have. Here. Let me heal you." He breathes, leaning forward and capturing your lips. You hum and kiss him back, the pain easing from your back. He pulls away, cupping your cheek. "Better?"  
"I'm in a bit of a daze now but I'm good." You give a thumbs up. He smiles again in amusement.   
"Good. The one we just saw wasn't alone. Let's go repay them." He puts the mask in place and you nod. You both head back through the tunnels, Kita guiding you along in the darkness effortlessly. A flicker of light ahead catches your eye and you feel the grind of stone at your feet. You swiftly swipe your hand, bursting the spikes that came for you again before launching forward, fist connecting with her nose. Your pentagon lights up now and you pause in surprise.  
"I actually hit her! I was just guessing!" You gasp. There's a grunt of another person nearby and someone drops to the floor.  
"Yeah you surprised me there." Kita admits as his pentagon lights up as well.   
"I just… I don't know. Sensed where she was? The spikes felt short ranged that time." You tilt your head, putting on your right glove.   
"You're really full of surprises." He takes your hand and guides you out of the cave.  
"Can you see in the dark? You were moving like you could see." You comment. He nods slightly.  
"I wouldn't call it a quirk, but it's definitely a family trait," He breathes before looking at you.   
"I noticed your eyes do reflect the light well…" You comment, meeting his gaze. "And they're really beautiful."  
"I was just thinking how beautiful yours are actually." He says in amusement. You blush lightly and hide your face in his arm. He chuckles, rubbing your hand gently. "Told you I would see you today." He rumbles. You peek up at his mask.   
"I like your mask, you look mysterious." You hum.   
"I wanted to surprise you. And it's safer like this." He touches it thoughtfully. You reach the safe zone and let go of his hand, hurrying inside.   
"Dorm One!" You cheer, holding up your arms.  
"Dorm One!" Nishinoya, Ryuu and the twins echo, running up to hug you.   
"Finally." Sakusa sighs coming over with the rest.  
"Everyone's here? Awesome!" You chime. "And look, I found a friend." You point at Kita. "Bet you can't guess who!"   
"... Who is that?" Nishinoya blinks in confusion.  
"Hi Kita." The twins and Kenma greet.  
"All three of you are cheaters." You pout.  
"You should've seen that coming." Kita chuckles, lifting his mask. "Good to see you guys."  
"You're full of surprises." Nishinoya tells him.  
"I'll take that as a compliment." Kita breathes.  
"Alright, rest up and hydrate. The next part starts soon." Sakusa says, nudging you to the tables where they had drinks and snacks.  
"I hope it's not as bad as the fighting portion." You comment, spotting Shirabu.  
"To be honest. I think it's going to be worse."


	31. Test Over

"___! Atsumu! Good to see you." A deep rumble sounds as a hand falls onto your shoulder. You both look back at Hibarida.  
"Hey. Good to see you sir. I'm ready for my next flight." You give a salute. He blinks and chuckles, ruffling your hair.  
"Still teasing me about that, I see." He rumbles as you both laugh.  
"Yeah. Me and Daishou joke about it sometimes." You smile.  
"It's a shame he already has his license, I would've liked to see you two work together again." He comments.  
"Don't worry, that's still in my future." You assure with a chuckle.  
"Eh? You were serious?" Atsumu frowns. "The Miya Agency is going to be way cooler though!"  
"Sorry Tsumu but Daishou beat you guys there. He already has a location planned out and everything." You chime putting your hands on your hips. "I'm so lucky to have found him."  
"Suddenly this sounds like you're getting married." Atsumu growls in annoyance.  
"??? What are you talking about?" You ask, tilting your head.  
"I'm going to beat your boss in the Rescue Tournament, and then you'll have to come work for us." Osamu declares, pointing at you.  
"This is sounding fun." Hibarida chuckles.  
"Guys guys…. Really…" You shake your head in amusement. "What makes you think I'll obediently work under any of you?" You smirk. They both pause at that and Nishinoya starts to laugh.  
"That was ice cold ___!"  
"Tch! What's so great about that snake anyway? We'd be better bosses!" Atsumu scoffs.  
"Oh really? Guess you'll just have to prove it in the next part of the test." You fold your arms  
"We will!" They both declare.  
"The twin thing just made you sound adorable." You snicker and they both scowl at you.  
"Alright time to explain the next part then." Hibarida decides, moving onto the stage at the center of the room. Everyone gathers around quietly to listen. "The next half is you doing what you need to to rescue those left behind. We've set up quite the challenge to insure you know what you're doing when it comes to all kinds of dangerous situations. I wish you all the best of luck. There's no time limit on this part of the test but I want you all to write with a sense of urgency still, after all. They're all in real danger."  
"Yes." The chorus sounds before everyone rushes out.  
"Kenma, you're our best bet for finding people." You breathe. "Though I don't want you to strain your eyes." You add, thinking about Tendo's eyes bleeding briefly.  
"I'll be fine, this eyeshield isn't just for looks." He responds moving ahead. "They're scattered all over… Most of them are in the city area though." He points.  
"Let's move there then. Unless there's some in immediate danger." You glance at him.  
"Not at the moment." He assures before leading the way. The large group soon disperses around your group, splitting up in all directions. You pause, glancing over at Shirabu, Hiro, and a familiar face you couldn't but a name too.  
"How many in the city?" Shirabu asks Kenma, avoiding your surprised gaze.  
"I'm counting about twelve." Kenma says, "Mostly on the higher levels."  
"It'll be quicker if Nishinoya tosses us up to them." You hum.  
"True, but you don't know how stable the floor will be on those levels." Sakusa points out. "We should approach it like the whole place is made of glass."  
"I can scout it out and find them." Hiro pipes up.  
"Your quirk is perfect for this." You nod.  
"Sure is. I'll let you know if it's safe to do it your way." Hiro breathes as the group reaches the city.  
"Two up there." Kenma points, "About, the fifth floor for both."  
"Alright, here I go." Hiro becomes transparent before zipping inside.  
"There's three in that one, and six in that one there. I don't see the last one anymore though." Kenma searches about with a small frown.  
"That's odd." You mutter.  
"We'll worry about that one later then." Shirabu huffs.  
"So… I found them, there is no floor except for a plank of wood that they're on. But if we take one the other will fall." Hiro informs, when he returns.  
"What kinda rescue is that?" Ryuu says in alarm.  
"So we just gotta send up the twins to save them." You comment. They all look at you at that. "It's not that hard guys, the twins move in sync so they should do it." You look between everyone before frowning lightly at Sakusa. "Bad idea?"  
"You just got there really fast." He assures.  
"The gears… They are working now." You breathe in an odd accent, tapping your temple. Atsumu covers his mouth turning away as he starts to laugh.  
"What. Was. That!? Pfft! Ya dork!" He laughs.  
"Shut up! I don't wanna hear that from you!" You snap, pushing him lightly. "Get up there already."  
"How though? He said there's no floor." Osamu reminds you.  
"Nishinoya." You answer.  
"I'm ready." Nishinoya grins.  
"... Okay, is he also how we get down?" Osamu frowns lightly.  
"Don't worry. I've been working on that." Nishinoya gives him a thumbs up.  
"So in case we die…" Atsumu coughs, turning to you.  
"Toss 'em." You deadpans and Nishinoya's deity grabs them, tossing them at the windows where Kenma and Hiro had indicated.  
"Cold." Hiro looks at you.  
"Now's no time to talk about dying." You wave your hand, "Come on Hiro, lets check the next one." You add moving to the next building. He goes up as the twins come down from the other building. You look toward the twins as the familiar face leans into view peering at you.  
"You've grown a lot." He comments.  
"Ah.. Yeah, you too." You nod. So you did know him. Maybe from before the incident, everything before then was still fuzzy.  
"Rintaro Suna." He touches his chest in a reminding manner. You blink at him and he sighs looking down. "Rinrin…" He mutters. That clicks. The little boy you used to play with from next door before he moved. He wasn't there when your quirk appeared.  
"RinRin!" You gasp. "You're so big now!"  
"___, I think we'll be safe in this one. The only one that may be troublesome is the one on the tenth floor, they're pinned and the roof might cave in." Hiro informs, when he returns.  
"Looks like I'll just have to blow the roof off then." You smile.  
"... Can I watch?" Hiro asks, pointing to himself.  
"Sure." You chuckle.  
"I'll get the other two then." Suna decides, tilting his head peering at you curiously.  
"Please hurry guys. I think we have a bomb under the last one." Kenma comments.  
"I'll get a closer look, see if I can disarm it." Akaashi breathes stepping forward.  
"Wait that's too dangerous, just let me burst-"  
"As much as I would love to. There's going to be a time when you're not there. Since this is a test I can't see it being lethal, I'd like to try and see if I'm any good." Akaashi tells you, blue eyes piercing yours, a small fire burning behind them. You take back your words at that.  
"Alright, take K.K with you, just in case." You toss him the device. He nods and you shift, swallowing slightly.  
"Go save them. You know where we'll be." He says before heading into the other building. You turn and rush up the stairs, Hiro quickly joining you with Suna close behind.  
"This floor and the next have one." Hiro points out for Suna.  
"Got them." He breathes moving off. You and Hiro reach the last floor and he leads you to the room where the person was pinned.  
"Alright, let's go." You breathe, reaching them and holding your right hand to the roof. "Burst." You breathe, arm and the entire upper floor coming undone. You relax, fixing your arm as you watch the particles blow away in the wind.  
"Wow…" Hiro breathes, looking about as he picks up the person.  
"Gh… My arm hurts like hell… Second time today…" You gasp, holding your arm.  
"Hang in there, we're almost done." He nudges you with his shoulder and you both head down the stairs, meeting Suna outside. You go straight across the street to the other building, stepping beside Kenma.  
"Am I needed?" You ask as he watches someone inside the building.  
"No. I think he got it, and everyone else is rescuing." He responds lightly. "I'm still worried about the one that vanished though."  
"Maybe the twins can try to sniff them out then." You breathe as everyone soon returns with their rescues.  
"Building clear. Where next?" Atsumu asks.  
"To the safe zone. But can you two smell the last one out, Kenma still hasn't seen them." You tell them.  
"Sure." They nod before breathing in deeply only to stiffen and gag. The look that crosses their faces makes your heart drop.  
"Death's here…" You realize, and the manhole cover nearby bursts off, black water rushing the group. Shirabu swiftly makes a shield, keeping the water at bay. "Get them to the safe zone!" You order the others. The turn to do so and you peer about. "And Kenma… Where's Midnight?" You ask. Kenma pauses, Dorm One sending you uneasy glances at that.  
"Don't ___…” Sakusa reaches for your arm.  
"He won't kill me." You assure. "But if Death answers to him, then the best thing is to take him down and disperse the underlings." You point out.  
"Yer not wrong. And it took ya awhile to realize I was here." Death's chipper voice sounds from a window on the third floor. "I was here the whole time ya know. We've all been waiting. And now it's time ta play." He clicks a button and explosions resonate throughout the arena.  
"Shirabu, how long can you keep a shield around the group?" You ask, raising your right arm toward Death, making the blue haired man smile.  
"I'll keep it up as long as I need to." He responds.  
"Alright, Kenma." You glance at the blond.  
"I can't find him." He frowns.  
"He's over toward the mountain, about to cause an eruption. Ya should hurry though, there's at least five kids there." Death points past the city at the mountain range.  
"Nishinoya. Launch me." You breathe.  
"Me too." Suna moves beside you. "I don't know what's going on, but we just reunited so I'm not letting you run off so soon." He stretches.  
"We'll get everyone to safety and come help you. Be careful." Akaashi tells you.  
"You too." You nod.

"Ya sure are happy about that boss." Death hums as Midnight starts to chuckle happily.  
"Of course. My best friend wants to come see me." Midnight hums. "Now focus on your fight, I want to play with ___ for as long as I can while Hibarida handles Yogan." He adds, his bluish blades coming out as two specks fly toward them from the city.

"Too short." Suna says as you both near the ground halfway to the mountain.  
"This is gonna hurt." You frown. You're both caught as an alarm sounds.  
"Test is over, leave the arena." Hibarida tells you both.  
"We're aware, but I'm not leaving. I'm heading to the boss." You respond, looking at the mountain.  
"___, I know you're capable but there are pros here and no one noticed them come in. It's far too dangerous." He frowns lightly.  
"I'm going. And you have something else to worry about." You respond, raising your right arm suddenly and bursting a clump of lava that flew from the mountain at the group. "So send me on another flight, boss. I'm ready." You breathe. He meets your gaze before looking over as a large glob of lava flies for the group again.  
"Good thing you're getting a license after this. Don't die." He breathes, punching a gale into the lump of lava, cooling and breaking it into pieces. "Your turn." He turns to you and Suna.  
"Okay, we gotta run at him and jump from that direction. Don't worry, I've done this before." You tell Suna running toward the mountain before suddenly turning and running at Hibarida, jumping at him and getting sent flying at the mountain.  
"I swear ___ was born on adrenaline. That part clearly hasn't changed." Suna sighs, shaking his head before following your example.  
You twist in the air, your flight path taking you straight toward Midnight who was awaiting you calmly. You grit your teeth, blades leaving your armor. 'Atsumu was right. Our armor is really similar…' The thought comes to your mind and your eyes narrow. "'Let me get a look at your face Midnight." You breathe, before spinning about, blades clashing with his before you kick him back.  
"HM? DiD YoU JUst saY SomEThiNg?" His computer voice crackles, he pauses, adjusting it. You take the chance to lunge at him, right hand reaching for his mask.  
"Show me your face Midnight?" You smirk as he stiffens, the mask starting to burst before you touch it, the tip of his nose becomes visible. Two red circles reflect under the eyeshield and the mask restores itself and you're sent back to your midair spin, slashing and landing. You freeze, blinking in shock at that. 'He reversed it. My quirk… Can't affect him…' You think, slowly looking at him. 

_"I get it. A quirk like yours makes fighting up close really dangerous for your opponent. But what if there's someone out there your quirk can't destroy?"_

__

__

_"... Isn't that someone I should marry?" You tilt your head._

_"NO." Atsumu and Sakusa call._

_"If you're fighting them as a hero… Probably not." FireCrow says._

A bittersweet smile forms on your lips as you change your stance. "Why did you have to be a bad guy…" You sigh.  
"Why did you have to be a good guy? We could rule the world together." Midnight responds. "My time control, your quirk that affects space. We're perfect for each other. Maybe even destined." He offers a hand to you. "Come on. I'll spare your friends."  
"I'm not worried. My friends are strong." You smirk. He pauses and drops his arm.  
"Then we'll just have to fight until you change your mind." He hums suddenly rushing you. Those bluish blades glint with electricity as he nears making unease rise to your chest. Your blades clash with his as you deflect his attack. He moved fast, and he was a bit stronger than you but you're able to keep his blades at bay.  
Everytime it seemed like he was going to land a blow, his arm is jerked back by something, giving you an opening to hit the villain. Midnight was clearly getting aggitated now.  
"Death! Do something about the one intervening!" He snaps as you're sent back a few steps before.  
"Yes boss." Death hums, coming over the cliff. Your eyes widen in shock at him. "Don't look so startled, your lot has faced my doppelganger before." He chuckles at you before peering at Suna. "Ya shouldn't have kept interfering, now I'm going to have ta kill ya."  
"RinRin." You call uneasily, glancing at him as the black water suddenly rushes him. He brings up his arms to shield him and the water stops, making Death straighten in surprise.  
"You sharp lil shit." Death grins. "Not bad lad.  
"Everyone with elements seem to use gestures… If you can't manipulate your water how you want, you can't hit me." Suna hums.  
"Ah. Yer not wrong. But I'm not that green either." The whites of Death's red gaze turn black, and the water starts to move erratically, forcing Suna away from your fighting area.  
"There we go, no more distractions." Midnight relaxes, tilting his head. "RinRin huh?... What an odd name. A friend of yours?"  
"Why would I tell you that?" You scoff.  
"Because we're going to be best friends." He hums.  
"No, I have a best friend already thanks." You glare at him.  
"Too bad. Guess I'll take another spot then." He rushes you.  
After a while it kinda feels like a dance you had fallen into. He really wasn't using his full power when he did land a hit and he avoided your face. Everytime you move to strike or burst the mask he would set you back about five moves from before and disorient you. He knocks you back at one point and you almost fall from the cliff but something tugs you forward. You take a moment to catch your breath, analyzing the fight.  
You couldn't even make a move without him deflecting it. He anticipated every move so quickly, and if you did get close or burst anything he would restore everything to a few moments ago.  
"You seem to be enjoying yourself ___." He comments, making you blink in confusion. "You're smiling."  
You pause, left hand coming over your mouth. You did feel it now that he mentioned it. This was fun, fighting him was fun. Knowing that he could restore whatever damage you caused was reassuring. Dammit. Stop smiling. This is supposed to be serious. Your eyes narrow at him and you suddenly lunge. He pauses in surprise, a chuckle leaving him, deflecting your blades, grabbing your arm and tossing you away.  
"Playtime is almost over ___." He informs, metal claws leaving his fingertips on his suit. One of them drips slightly.  
'Is that one of Sakusa's toxins? He already knows paralysis-'  
"Won't work if it only touches your skin. But there's a spot in your body where I can put the toxin directly and have it do what I want it to." He hums, seeming to hear your thoughts, making a tingle of unease go down your spine.  
'Just don't let him near.' You swipe your right arm at him, sending up a layer of earth particles and jumping back. He steps into the cloud calmly and you see a red glow before you're back where you had been, something piercing your stomach. 'Damn.'  
"You jumped right into my plan there. I'm almost disappointed." He breathes as your body tenses and freezes. His knuckles graze your cheek. "Maybe I should take your memory. Make you all mine." His thumb slides over your bottom lip he leans forward, mask stopping a centimeter away. "I could do so much right now if I had the time." Blood drips down from under his mask. "But I do not." He turns his head as Hibarida leaps at you both. He suddenly is frozen in the air and Midnight takes his claws out of your stomach, going to the pro and piercing his leg before strolling away, Hibarida soon falling to the ground unable to move.  
'Why leave now? Did they get what they came for? What about the others?' You worry, trying to move, but nothing happens.  
After an agonizing ten minutes, someone comes into view. "Good, you're alive." Suna sighs, coming over and poking your cheek. "Your body is all stiff…" He frowns.  
"___!” The others call running up.  
"Shit, Hibarida is down too." Atsumu goes to check on the pro.  
"___'s bleeding." Akaashi puts K.K to your lips, giving you a breath.  
"Smells like Sakusa's unfiltered paralysis toxin." Osamu says, touching below the wound.  
"Midnight made sure ___ was going to be affected by it." Sakusa's brows knit together.  
"Why not take them though? I mean two strong quirks up for grabs and he doesn't take either?" Atsumu huffs.  
"Midnight isn't with Claw though, he's with Bloody Horizon and Black Water." Nishinoya points out.  
"He did have time to get them too. That Black Water guy sent me nearly back to the city." Suna says.  
"Why were they here then? Just to pick a fight and leave? Doesn't make sense." Kenma frowns.  
"Was there something here they wanted?" Ryuu tilts his head.  
"D-Don't know." Your jaw is finally free of paralysis. "He was talking a lot but, mostly about how I should join him." You frown trying to move more but to no avail. "Said something about my quirk and his being perfect together."  
"... Please tell me you gave him a hard no and punch to the nose." Atsumu sighs.  
"I did. But that time quirk kept me from hitting him hard. Or bursting his mask… Didn't seem like they were here for anything. Maybe they did this as a statement?" You tilt your head a bit. "I mean this test is supposed to be secure. But they still got in, planted bombs, and then escaped without any problems… That… Makes us look really bad. And the pros too."  
" 'We can do whatever we want and you can't stop us.' " Sakusa breathes with a nod. "That's definitely the message here."  
"Was anyone hurt by the blasts?" You ask Kenma.  
"Some were, but Kita is helping everyone, along with some others." He answers.  
"Guess we'll wait for the heroes to investigate the rest. Make sure no one is missing." You sigh, finally able to move your arms. "I forgot how much being paralyzed sucks…"  
Hibarida takes twice as long to be free of the paralysis. The test takers are sent to wait at the safe zone while an investigation takes place. The testers are questioned individually. After your interrogation, you head out, meeting Hibarida in the hall.  
"Anything yet?" You ask.  
"Not really. Everyone is accounted for. The only thing stolen was a large chunk of titanium that was going to be used to strengthen one of the weak points of the arena." He says.  
"Titanium…" you take off your right glove, pulling it inside out to show the silvery material inside. "That's something I can't burst." You breathe looking up at him. "Maybe this was all my fault. I don't know why but Midnight keeps targeting me." You pull your glove back on. "So. I'm sorry…" You murmur, looking at the ground. Hibarida shifts, placing a hand on your shoulder.  
"Before I became a hero, there were villains always after my quirk too. It caused a lot of trouble for everyone… But I became a pro, and I made it very clear, that I could stop them, and I did." You meet his soft gaze. "You have an alarming power that villains want. There's nothing else you can do to change that but to become a strong hero and make them back off." He tells you.  
"To be honest Hibarida…" You peer around carefully before frowning up at him. "The stronger I get, the more unstable I feel… I keep hearing a voice that isn't really mine. It wants destruction." You look down. "I feel like I'm feeding a monster by getting stronger."  
"___, what is it that you desire more than anything in this world?" He asks. You pause and meet his gaze again.  
"I… Just want to stay with my friends." You admit smiling. "I'd like that more than anything."  
"That certainly is not the answer of a monster." He chuckles softly, tipping your chin. "What you said before is a bit worrisome. But I'm not worried in the least. You're a warm and kind hero to be. I know you are going to be a superb hero one day." He smiles.  
"You're so nice." You sniff, looking away as tears come to your eyes. He chuckles again and gives you a hug.  
"Get back to your friends. We'll get everyone home soon." He says releasing you.  
"Right." You wipe your eyes and head back to where the others are. "Hibarida says we're all going home soon." You say as you reach them.  
"Finally. Thought we were going to be here all night." Atsumu stretches.  
"Are you okay?" Sakusa touches your arm.  
"Yeah. I'm good, just tired… Can't wait to cuddle Bokuto. It's been a long day." You sigh.  
"Really? The owl? You have a fox right here to cuddle you know." Atsumu scoffs.  
"I just cringed, don't say things like that out loud." Osamu covers his face.  
"Bokuto is like a charger for my batteries, leave me alone." You huff.  
"He does have that effect on people." Kita nods.  
"I usually go hang out with him and Kuroo when I'm down. Those two are hilarious." Nishinoya admits.  
"They are." Ryuu agrees.  
"I miss my senpai." You pout.  
"Now I want to meet them." Suna hums thoughtfully.  
"You should definitely come over sometime we have so much to catch up on!" You gasp.  
"You have my number, message me the address sometime, I'll come see you."  
"Just, write down the number in case something happens to your phone." Kita adds, pointing at you.  
"You mean before it does?" Atsumu snickers.  
"Shut it Tsumu." You scoff, blushing lightly.  
"___ never had good luck with toys when we were kids. Always losing them." Suna puts a knuckle to his chin. "A bird even took one of ___'s favorites once."  
"Your dog ate a few of them if I remember right." You toss him a frown.  
"That's because you tripped and tossed them into his kennel, you klutz." He responds with a chuckle. You grumble and look away at that. "Really. Teasing you now is so much fun."


	32. New Roommate

"Bokuto!!" You call up to the sky as you all reach the dorm, at three in the morning.   
"Shh they're sleep-" You can't hear the rest of what Ryuu was saying as you're swept up into the air.   
"You took so long to come home!" Bokuto gasps hugging you tightly. You return the hug, nuzzling his neck.   
"Midnight and Death crashed the test we couldn't leave until they investigated everyone." You tell him as he lands on the dorm with you.   
"Really? Are you okay?" He pulls back, cupping your cheek.  
"Yeah, everyone is safe and sound. I just… Really need a Bokuto hug right now." You smile tiredly. He blinks, lighting up and hugging you close at that, kissing your cheek.  
"Did you pass at least?" He asks.  
"... I think so." You rest your chin on his chest, looking up into his eyes. "They didn't say anything about it." You pout. He blinks and chuckles, nose brushing yours.   
"Don't pout, you'll get it either way." He breathes.  
"Were you waiting for me?" You ask.   
"Yes. How did you know?" He smiles.   
"I didn't, I just hoped you missed me as much as I missed you." You shrug.   
"I love you so much." He grins before kissing you deeply.  
"___!-- Bokuto! Get off! ___'s in trouble, remember!?" Oikawa bursts onto the roof. Bokuto holds up a finger to him, humming as he tightens his other arm around you. Oikawa's eye twitches and a rattling sound starts to resonate the area.   
"Alright alright." Bokuto breaks the kiss grumpily. You blink in a daze before looking at Oikawa in confusion.  
"What did I do?" You ask Oikawa.  
"Come and see." Oikawa gives a chilling smile. You frown uneasily and follow him downstairs and to the lobby as the other first years enter, shooting Bokuto glares.   
"Hey guys." He waves with a big smile.   
"You have a guest in the main room. Get rid of him." Oikawa points. You blink at him before going into the main room and finding Ushijima curled up on the couch.  
"Wakatoshi…" You murmur going over and touching his arm kneeling beside the couch. His eyes ease open. ".. What happened? What's wrong?"  
"I cannot sleep at Kuri as punishment…" He says half asleep. You blink, recalling what Shirabu had said during the test. "Tendo said to come here. But if I'm not welcome-"  
"You are. I'll take you in." You smile, rubbing his shoulder. "Come on, this couch isn't big enough for you. You can stay in my room."   
"Whaaa.." Oikawa objects, as you help Ushijima sit up.  
"Stop being mean." You tell him, helping the big guy pass and going up to your room.  
"I'm sorry for this." Ushijima murmurs to you.   
"I don't know what you're apologizing for. I don't mind at all. I'm glad you came here." You rub his back. "Stay as long as you need."  
"... Thank you." He looks down as you reach your room.   
"Need any clothes?" You ask.  
"I brought some, Oikawa wouldn't let me bring my things inside." He murmurs.  
"I'll get them, go ahead and get comfortable." You show him to the bed with a soft smile before heading out and closing the door.  
"I'm not okay with this." Oikawa frowns.  
"Then you can sleep outside. Heartless jerk." You respond with a smile. Your words pierce him and he touches his chest giving you a hurt look.   
"Jerk…?" He echoes.  
"He got kicked out of the dorms idiot. He tried talking to the headmaster about the quirk biased." You tell him stalking past. He gaps after you before looking to the twins.   
"Do something!" He whispers pointing after you.  
"Nah. I'm sure it's fine." Osamu shrugs.  
"The guy's huge though, kinda worried he'll flatten us in our fox forms." Atsumu murmurs. They look at each other. "... Yeah let's do that." He nods before they both go downstairs leaving Oikawa utterly lost.  
"What's going on?? I'm the dorm president…" He grumbles, going after you.   
You pull the luggage inside with a huff, it was heavy. He probably had work out gear in it. "Can't believe this. If I wasn't so damn tired I would give that headmaster a piece of my mind." You growl.  
"So. We'll find a place to sleep for now. But if he's staying we should get him a bed." Osamu says picking up one of the bags.  
"Why not just get him his own room?" Atsumu scoffs grabbing one as well.   
"Thanks guys. He seems like a nice roommate to have, he's mostly working out half of the time." You smile as you all carry everything upstairs to the room. You place his things in your closet and hug the twins before they head out. You yawn, grabbing your clothes before taking a quick shower.  
You come back out, crawling into bed as Ushijima turns over, eyes opening a bit as you move under the covers. He sleepily touches your arm before closing his eyes again. You pause, wondering if he was half asleep before smiling lightly and moving closer, fingers combing through his hair. "It's going to be alright. I got you." You murmur as his eyes peek open again. He blinks and moves his head, forehead touching your shoulder, letting you comb his hair. You nuzzle his temple and soon drift off at that.

+*+*+*

"Yer happy boss." Death comments.  
"Of course… I think ___ likes Midnight. You should've seen how those beautiful eyes lit up whenever I restored what was destroyed." Tendo chuckles, smiling as he scratches at the bandages over his eyes, spots of blood seeping through. "Gotta get used to this though, my eyes really hurt, and the bleeding hasn't stopped… Should've stolen that device…"   
"Sorry boss, we don't have any doctors here…" Death frowns.  
"I know.. Hmm.. Message Kita." Tendo blindly holds out his phone. "Tell him I would like a spare device and cartridge for ___, just in case."   
"Roger." Death says doing so.  
"I'll be by later tomorrow to get it.. Now I have an app that'll send that message in the morning. Looks like a clock next to the send button." Tendo instructs.  
"And… Got it boss." Death nods setting up the time. "Ya sure you're okay sleeping at my apartment? I know it probably reeks for ya."  
"I've gotten used to it. It's not much different from when mom was torturing people on the lower levels…" Tendo responds getting up and feeling about. Death tilts his head, watching Tendo for a moment before reaching over and taking the redhead's hand.  
"This way boss. It's the furthest from my room and has a fan in the window." He guides him to the other room. "Oh, and I found that new guy I was tellin you about. That looks like one of ___'s dormmates." He adds, taking him to the bed and putting his hand on it.   
"Good. It'll be fun to use him." Tendo smiles pulling the covers back before crawling in.   
"I'll introduce ya when yer eyes are healed, he's a bit green still, but he seems capable… I'll light ya an incense too. All the neighbors moved away because the smell kept them awake so… I hope this helps." Death trails off, lighting a few incense.  
"You don't gotta worry too much about it Kobalt. It doesn't bother me much." Tendo assures. Death glances back at him at that.   
"Goodnight boss." He says lightly, putting Tendo's phone beside the bed before going out and closing the door. His red eyes soften a bit before he goes to his room, peering out the window and Raizu quietly. "Sleep well kiddos."

*-*-*-*-

You scroll through the pictures on your phone quietly, fingers combing through Ushijima's hair as he slept partially on top of you, head on your shoulder. It wasn't time to get up, but you had a not so pleasant dream that prompted you to wake. Looking at your pictures was helping put you at ease.  
"I need more pictures…" You mutter, stopping on one with you and Tendo, a recent one. You blink, bringing your phone closer as someone in the background catches your eye. "Death…?" You squint. That was weird, wasn't that in the city? A frown crosses your lips and you set your phone to the side, turning slightly to put your other arm around Ushijima's neck, closing your eyes. You sigh quietly, frowning heavily to yourself. Ushijima's head tilts back and you open your eyes to meet his.  
"Something wrong…?" He asks quietly.  
"No… Just, tired still.." You offer a small smile. He blinks, hand moving up to comb through your hair quietly before shifting and bringing your head to his chest. You blink in surprise, blushing lightly.  
"Go back to sleep." He breathes, closing his eyes, fingers still combing through your hair, steadily easing you back to sleep. 

"I hate it. Someone please do something." Oikawa pouts peering into the room.  
"Damn them.." Atsumu growls. "Not that they're cute together or anything." He grumbles.   
"That looks like a nice cuddle sleep…" Bokuto frowns in jealousy.  
"You guys need to get out of my doorway." Osamu says with a slightly annoyed expression. They move and Osamu goes over to your bedside. "___, Samu food." He says lightly.  
"Samu food…" You wake slightly, looking over at him, making Ushijima wake also.  
"Yeah, I'm about to start cooking. So wake up soon so you can have it fresh." Osamu murmurs, kissing your temple before going back out. You stretch a bit at that, not really wanting to get up still, sighing quietly. Ushijima peeks at your face quietly before looking at the doorway, others peering in with glares.   
"I think they're waiting for you." He comments, making you look over now. You puff your cheeks out at them before tossing a pillow.  
"Come on ___, we're supposed to be updated about the license test soon." Nishinoya tells you.  
"Fine… When do I get a sleep day…" You sit up with a grumble.   
"Have you not been sleeping well?" Ushijima asks, sitting up and tilting his head.   
"Not really? Been so tired when I wake…" You rub your eyes.  
"You should join me on a jog tonight then. It might help." He tells you.   
"Sure we can try that." You nod.  
"So we're just going to keep Ushijima now?" Kuroo comments peering in. "That'll be different. What did you do big guy?" He asks.  
'Made him sound like a puppy…' You blink at Kuroo.  
"I may have angered the headmaster, but I haven't been kicked out of the school at least." Ushijima answers, holding up a thumb. They all blink at him at that. Oikawa suddenly makes a mischievous face at that.  
"Sounds like you should come to Raizu." Oikawa snickers. Ushijima's eyes narrow at him and the others slowly turn to look at him. "I might enjoy this after all…" Oikawa chuckles walking down the hall.  
"I'm concerned about Ushijima's safety now." Nishinoya tells you.  
"I see fire in our future suddenly." Kuroo sighs following after Oikawa.  
"Sounded like Tendo…" You and Ushijima mutter before looking at each other.  
"Is this really okay?" Ushijima asks you.  
"You have another option?" You respond with a head tilt.   
"No…" He looks down.   
"Then it's fine. I would worry about you if you were out on your own." You tip his chin up to get him to meet your gaze. "I think it'll be nice having you around the dorm. So don't worry about this." You smile. He blinks before nodding, resting his chin in your hand.  
"Thank-" You put a finger to his lips, silencing him.   
"Let's eat." You chuckle getting out of bed and heading downstairs with him.   
"Finally awake I see." Osamu gives you your plate.  
"Samu food." You give a thumbs up.  
"Mhm mhm. Samu food." Bokuto nods as Ushijima sits beside you.  
"Is that another language?" Ushijima murmurs to Sakusa.  
"No, that's just them…" Sakusa responds.   
"Alright. Now we can talk about the camping trip!" Oikawa chimes.  
"But we don't know if we passed." You point out.  
"Of course you did." Oikawa and Ushijima state together. There's a brief uncomfortable silence between them at that.   
"Pfft." Iwaizumi puts his shirt collar over his nose in a feeble attempt to hide his snickering.   
"... If you're staying here then you get cleaning duty." Oikawa points at Ushijima.  
"Don't bully my guest Dorm President." You scold, bringing Ushijima's head to your shoulder.  
"It's fine." Ushijima blinks at you. "I can handle something minimal like that."  
"I still think he's being uncalled for." You scoff.  
"Uncalled for? He's uncalled for!" Oikawa protests.   
"No you are. Ushijima is just sweet. Not a pompous jerk." You point at Oikawa. His brown eyes narrow, fingers tapping on the table.   
"Okay. Let's take a step back." Iwaizumi speaks up.   
"More like let's take a step outside." Oikawa breathes.  
"Fine." You get up as he does.   
"Wait wait guys, come on it's too early for this." Atsumu grabs your waist.  
"___ just needs a bit of a reminder is all." Oikawa hums leading the way out. You pat Atsumu's head before going after Oikawa.  
"Geez…" Sakusa sighs.  
"Shouldn't we stop this?" Daichi looks at Iwaizumi.   
"If they wanted to listen we'd still be eating." Iwaizumi sighs. Ushijima shifts and stands before following you out.  
You and Oikawa face each other, gazes locked. There's a rattle of chains as they leave his back. You shift and remove your glove. A gust sends some leaves between you two and you suddenly lunge at him as chains fly at you. You twist about, bursting them. Your hand touches the ground, bursting the area. You flip to the side, narrowly dodging a sweeping chain. Your foot touches the ground and you lunge forward at where you could hear the chains coming from, fist flashing out. He catches it calmly, chains wrapping around you in an instant.  
You twist, kicking him back as you burst the chains. He touches his stomach briefly before pointing at you, sending out a dagger. You point back, the dagger meeting your fingertip and bursting. You flip to the side to avoid another burst of chains and pivot to swing at him again. He dodges grabbing your wrist and flipping you over his shoulder into a waiting net of chains. You twist your right hand about, bursting the chains as you hit them, swiftly spinning about and swiping his legs out from under him. His chains catch him and he flips away chains coming out more rapidly, striking you and putting your right arm behind your back to keep you from bursting anything else.   
Oikawa suddenly steps toward you, making you flinch and close your eyes. He blinks and cups your face. "I'm not going to hit you silly." He smiles softly when you open your eyes again. "Sorry if I got rough. I just wanted to remind you who I am." He tilts his head as the chains release you. "Ushijima can stay forever for all I care. But I'm not going to try to get along with him." His eyes narrow slightly. "He's still someone I'm going to beat."   
"Okay…. I'm sorry…" You frown.  
"Give me a kiss and I'll forgive you." He beams.  
"Not with Ushijima watching…" You grumble with a blush. He blinks and looks over at Ushijima.  
"Go away! We're having a moment!" He snaps.   
"Sorry. Just wanted to make sure ___ didn't get hurt." Ushijima raises his hand slightly before heading inside.  
"Honestly why do you people think so poorly of m-... Mmm.." He relaxes when you lean up and kiss him.   
"Better? Are we good now?" You ask, pulling back.  
"Maybe… After like… Ten more of those." He smirks leaning forward.  
"Oikawa!" You cover his mouth swiftly. He grumbles against your palm and you can feel him pout against your palm. "Really you're the worst."  
"Why do you always gotta hurt me like that…" He pouts more, hugging you close. He hums a bit, before deciding to sing to you quietly, making you blush. "Let me love you~ And I will love you~ until you learn to love yourself~" You hide your face in his chest and he chuckles softly with a smile. "Stop being cute, I'm trying to serenade you."  
"You stop. I didn't get to finish my breakfast." You murmur, hiding your face in embarrassment. "My god you're such a sap."  
"Yeah. That's why you're stuck to me now." He chuckles, holding you and hobbling for the door. "I'll make you a new breakfast then." He grins as he pulls you along inside. He cuts through the dining room and into the kitchen with you cheerfully.  
"... Weren't they just fighting outside?" Nishinoya remarks.  
"They were. Oikawa won." Ushijima hums eating.  
"They made up fast." Ryuu remarks.  
"I thought it was going to be worse than when ___ and Sakusa were fighting." Atsumu admits.  
"We weren't fighting, we were just… Loudly disagreeing." Sakusa says.  
"Pretty sure ___ almost obliterated a course because of that last disagreement." Nishinoya mutters. Sakusa twitches and looks away at that.  
"And the toxins Sakusa was letting off were very potent." Osamu rubs his nose at the memory.  
"Think you two fighting was worse than when ___ was mad at us for kidnapping Tendo." Iwaizumi tilts his head.  
"I'm surprised he hasn't come by yet since Ushijima is here…" Atsumu comments.  
"Probably a lot going on at Kuri too." Ryuu hums.

*+*+*+*+*

"Hey boss, I made ya break--" Death freezes, eyes widening as he opens the doors. "Shit. Boss!? Boss!" He puts the plate down going over to Tendo and removing the blood soaked bandage from around his head. "Tendo! Open yer eyes!" He tries to clean off the other's face, making Tendo grunt swiping his hands.  
"What?" Tendo's eyes open into slits, heavily bloodshot eyes looking up at him, both of his irises are a whitish color.   
"Shit… Can you see me?" Death breathes.  
"Not really…" Tendo closes his eyes. "How bad do they look?"  
"Not good boss… Ya also look like you were dunking yet head in blood." Death informs.  
"I figured. You sounded worried, Kobalt." Tendo teases with a smirk.   
"Well yeah it looked like yer freaking head exploded. Gave me a fright for a moment ya goblin." Death scoffs standing up.   
"Goblin? Heh that sounds weird coming from a reaper." Tendo chuckles.  
"That woulda been a much cooler name." Death tilts his head in thought. "Anyway I'ma get a rag ta clean ya up a bit so ya can eat. You should probably sleep today too."   
"Alright. Just message back ___ if they send anything."  
"Yes boss."


	33. Guilty

"Ohhh that place looks nice." You point at one of the brochures on the table.   
"Yes!" Oikawa gasps lighting up. "It has a natural spring nearby too." He tells you excitedly. There's a pause in the room at that.   
"Let's go." Almost everyone else says.  
"So it's decided." Oikawa beams. "We'll leave in three days." Everyone nods and you peer over as Ushijima peeks into the main room. Oikawa pauses, looking between you and Ushijima.  
"Oikawa." You start. He groans, covering his face.   
"Fine." He sighs. You smile and get up, going to Ushijima.  
"Welcome back. How was school?" You ask lightly.  
"It was fine…" He looks to the side. You hum, and touch his arm before heading upstairs with him.  
"You know Tendo has told me about your lying habits right?" You breathe.  
"It did not feel good to go back." He admits. "A lot of people were asking about what happened. And Tendo wasn't there to help…"  
"Hm? He wasn't?" You tilt your head. "He said he wasn't feeling well this morning so he's staying in bed."  
"That's probably it then. I didn't go to the dorms." He murmurs, looking down as you enter the room. You sit on the bed as he takes off his jacket. You frown lightly as he grabs some clothes and heads into the bathroom to change. He soon comes out and sits on the bed with you. "I am… Really disappointed the headmaster wouldn't hear me out." He sighs, turning to you slightly and resting his forehead on your shoulder. You blink in surprise before frowning more, fingers combing through his hair, leaning your cheek against his head.   
"I'm sorry. I don't know what to say to help… To be honest the only thing I can think of is going to raise hell with your headmaster. But that'll make things worse…" Your free hand takes one of his, giving it a light squeeze. "Geez your hands are big…."  
"Thank you." He lifts his head to send you a small smile. "You don't need to do anything for me though. This is enough."  
"... Wanna come on the camping trip with us?" You ask, making him blink.  
"But… school…"   
"You can take some personal time off. It's their loss for kicking you out of the dorms." You scoff. "So come have fun with us." You smile.  
"I don't want to cause another fight…" He frowns now.  
"You won't. Oikawa begrudgingly agreed to this." You give a thumbs up. He searches your face.   
"What do I need for camping?" He inquires.  
"Ahh… We got three days, so I'll take you shopping with me tomorrow." You decide, placing your hands on his with a smile.  
"Okay… Do you want a hug?" He murmurs.  
"Random question but yes." You hug him happily at that. He hugs you back, cheek resting on your head, and pausing as he spots the twins peering in with frowns.  
"... Is something wrong?" He asks them.  
"Nope. Just coming to get some clothes to change into." Atsumu says lightly.   
"They were staring from the doorway weren't they?" You guess, not looking over, still enjoying the hug.  
"Yes." He answers.  
"You two need to get better at sharing." You tell the twins, pulling away from Ushijima.  
"Never." They say together. You smile and shake your head in amusement at that.  
"Anyways the day is still young…" You hum putting a knuckle to your chin in thought. "Oh, let's go on a date." You tell Ushijima. The twins and Ushijima freeze in surprise, blinking at you.  
"Oh. You mean like the ones you go on with Tendo." Ushijima murmurs. "Sure. I'm not sure what else to do here besides working out."  
"I thought so." You smile getting up. "Ooo I'm going to wear my snake hoodie."   
"Atsumu stole it." Osamu informs, "Check his closet."  
"Aww do you miss Daishou too?" You beam opening Atsumu's closet and taking his hoodie.  
"No! I borrowed it because it was cool!" Atsumu snaps.  
"You borrowed it and then put it in YOUR closet." Osamu deadpans.  
"What? ___ can go through my closet." Atsumu shrugs. "Just stay outta the box on the top left, Kay?"  
"I have no intentions of going into your closet." You respond simply. You pause as you put on your hoodie, looking over at K.K on your desk. You pick it up and change the canister before putting it in your pocket.  
"Hm? You taking K.K? You're not planning to get into a fight are you?" Atsumu inquires.  
"Of course not. But accidents happen all the time and Sakusa says to always be prepared." You respond with a shrug.   
"... I'm so proud of you." Sakusa comments from the doorway, making you jump and blush lightly.  
"Sh-Shush." You scoff, going to the window. "I'll meet you outside Ushijima." You add jumping out the window.  
"... So flustered that they jumped out the window..." Osamu blinks.   
"That was kinda cute." Atsumu chuckles. "Getting all pink and running away…" He then looks at Sakusa, smile dying. "Cactus bastard." He huffs. Sakusa removes his mask to show an amused smile.  
"Must be frustrating that you can't do that." He rumbles smugly before putting his mask back on and continuing down the hall.  
".... I hate that guy." Atsumu growls as Ushijima goes out.  
"Lame."  
"Shut it- Oi! That's my shirt!"  
"And that's another one of ___'s hoodies."  
"I'm borrowing it!"  
"Awww."  
"That's it! I'm kicking yer ass Samu!'

"Are you okay?" Ushijima asks when he meets you outside.  
"Yeah. Sorry, that was pretty lame on my part." You say sheepishly, rubbing your neck.   
"Atsumu thought it was cute." Ushijima assures, tilting his head to peer at your face. "Where are we going?" He adds.  
"There's a camp supply shop nearby next to an old apartment building. If I remember right." You breathe in thought, taking the lead. You lead him not far from the dorms to a crummy plaza with some random shops around. "Oh. There it is. After we find some things for camping I know a great place to eat, I haven't been there since middle school." You add excitedly.   
"Alright." He nods following you into the store.   
"First we need a tent and some sleeping bags." You breathe. You start listing things off and grabbing things as you wander the small store. Then a conversation catches your ear and you stop.  
"Got anything to get rid of the smell of rot?" An old man was asking the cashier.  
"Sir I just sold you the only things we have for that. Did none of it work?" The cashier frowns.  
"No… I was wondering why the third floor was so empty… Guess I'll just have to move too." He sighs. You blink and approach him carefully.  
"I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear… What apartment building are you in?" You ask lightly, a tingling down your spine made you feel like you had just discovered something dangerous.   
"It's that one right there." He points. "It has a nice view of Raizu too. Seeing the young heroes nearby is very assuring for my weary soul." He murmurs, pointing it out to you. You swallow at that, looking at the building.  
"I'm going to see if I can find a way to help him out. Can you take what we bought back to the dorm and meet me back at the plaza?" You look back at Ushijima. He tilts his head, watching your face.  
"Be careful." He nods, taking the bags out after you pay.

*_*_*_*

"Alright boss, time ta check yer eyes." Death comes in with a small cheerful smile and a medkit as well as a box under his arm.   
"Finally. I'm so bored." Tendo sighs sitting up.   
"Heh dontcha worry boss. I found us an activity for yer boredom if yer eyes aren't healed." Death chuckles lightly, removing the bandages to peer at his eyes as Tendo opens them. "Ah. Look at dat, yer irises are all nice and red again. And the whites of yer eyes are coming back too." He smiles, making Tendo blink at him.  
"What's this? Kobalt is acting cute? Did you see a pretty girl while you were out?" Tendo teases.   
"Sorta. I spotted ___ heading to the plaza when I was coming back. Had a big guy with em too." Death responds, cleaning Tendo's face.   
"Sounds like Ushijima." Tendo breathes, closing his eyes as Death wipes around them. "Glad they're getting along. Hope that doesn't mess with the trigger though… Then again if it did I won't have to…" Tendo trails off with a frown and suddenly looks at Death. "I want to see ___. How do my eyes looks?"  
"Well yer friend would definitely worry over them." Death tilts his head. "And ya been here a bit so ya probably reek too."   
"Damn. What's that?" Tendo looks at the box.  
"Yer new helmet. Marceez got done with it faster than I thought." Death hums, taking it out and showing it to him. "The purple looks really nice over the titanium."   
"That does look nice…" Tendo takes it with a small smile. One of his eyes light up, starting to bleed. ".... Kobalt." He says suddenly tense. "Did ___ see you?"  
"Hm? No?... Oh. Shit…" Death's eyes widen in understanding and he looks to the door in alarm now.

You rub your nose as you step onto the third floor. This was definitely black water. You start down the hall, nose scrunching up as you get near the end of the hall. It seemed to be coming from the last door on the right. 'He has to be here, he must've been watching the school this whole time.' You shift, removing your right glove and reaching for the door. The moment it bursts, a hand flashes through the particles and grabs your wrist, yanking you inside and to the floor.   
You gasp in surprise, blinking up at Midnight's mask. He keeps you pinned under him, moving your left hand over your right to cancel your quirk out as he holds them down with one hand. He hums, his other hand slowly trailing from your throat and down your torso.  
"How did you know I wanted to see you? What a gift you are ___.” His computer voice purrs, hand reaching your hoodie pocket. He pauses and takes out K.K. "And you brought me a literal gift. How delicious." He hands it to Death as he crouches beside you.  
"What were ya thinking? That was not at all clever." Death shakes his head.  
"... Dammit." You look to the side, silently scolding yourself. You pause and glare at Midnight as his fingertips graze under your shirt.  
"Boss. Yer getting a bit too handsy there." Death whispers blushing lightly with a frown.  
"Oh, sorry ___.” Midnight raises his hand. "Now what should we do about you…" He peers about. "If I let you up now there will be a fight… Taking you with us isn't smart… Death, get me one of those vials. The greenish one should knock out ___ for a bit." He nods to the vials. Death moves to do so and you shift under Midnight.  
"Oh. You're pretty light." You comment, making them both pause before you rip your arms free and flip Midnight onto his back, aiming your right hand at Death.   
"Shit." He swiftly becomes a puddle as you burst the table and vials behind him. Midnight swiftly takes your glove from your pocket and messily puts it on your hand, sitting up and slamming you against the wall, pressing you into it with his body.   
"You…" He chuckles, pinning your arms over your head. "Are so much fun." The mask presses against your forehead. You shift, frowning at the eyeshield uneasily.  
"That was bleedin close!" Death gasps reforming to look over what you had burst. "That was most of em bottles too…" He grumbles before looking over at you two. "Boss. Yer getting too into it again." He adds.   
"I just want to hug ___…" Midnight shakes slightly, hands tightening around your wrists. "Ah. Open the window. I have an idea." He orders quickly. Death blinks and does so. Midnight picks you up by your wrists. "Next time we meet let's have fun." Midnight breathes putting your back to the window. "And make sure you yell so he can catch you." He adds before kicking you out the window. You let out a surprised yell, looking toward the ground. Before you hit it you're caught by Ushijima.  
"Are you okay?" He asks.   
"Yes! Thanks. But come on, we're going to lose them!" You swiftly twist out of his arms, running for the alleyway nearby as Death and Midnight disappear in a stream of black water into the sewers. 'They got away.' The thought fills you with more relief than frustration. You blink, shaking your head briefly before going to the manhole and peering in.   
"Villains?" Ushijima asks you, stepping to your side.   
"Yeah… But it's too dangerous to go after them now." You straighten up. "Sorry to keep you waiting though… You uh… Hungry still? Let's get dinner." 

*-**-**-**

"Ah… It wasn't what I wanted but I'll settle for it." Tendo sighs, removing his helmet. "Still. What a gutsy and dumb thing to do… Was there even a plan in that? Or just curiosity?"   
"Seemed like curiosity really. Didn't give ya much of a fight." Death tilts his head. "So maybe there is some attraction there. You were sure feeling it." He coughs with a blush.  
"I couldn't help it… Back at the test and now this encounter… I'm all wound up. I just want a kiss." Tendo grumbles. "Sorry about your apartment getting compromised though."  
"I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner ta be honest with ya." Death shrugs. "It's alright though, I got plenty of spares."   
"Good." Tendo holds up K.K thoughtfully. "What luck." He breathes before using a breath. "I'll be able to properly visit ___ tomorrow." He smiles cheerfully. Death watches him for a moment from the corner of his eye.   
"Ya know… Yer reminding me of a pair that I met back when I was fifteen… I was just wandering the swamps then, since that seemed like the only place I was welcomed." Death looks down becoming thoughtful. Tendo peers at him curiously at that.  
"Ohh, are you going to tell me a story from your past Kobalt? How interesting." Tendo smiles.  
"Yea." Death chuckles lightly. "They were an odd pair. A villain and a hero. Apparently they had a common enemy at the time and came to recruit me. The oddest part was, it felt like they both knew me. But I was just a lad, and I wasn't causing that much trouble at the time… But they came and took me in. Let me tell ya, we all became fast friends. I could tell they were at odds, but at the same time… When they looked at each other during some discussions… It used to make me a lil jealous. They really did love each other." Death's face softens and he smiles.  
"When we were about to head out and defeat the baddie, I overheard them in some kinda argument. When I went to check on them, I heard the hero say this... 'I should feel disgusted, or mad or disappointed with you. For all the people you killed and hurt. But I can't. Not even a little. I love you so much. I don't think I could ever hate you. Even now.'... I never felt so jealous of a villain before. I still am." Death peers over at Tendo and pauses, seeing tears in the redhead's eyes as he looks at the ground.  
"Yeah. I'm jealous of that too. I don't think… I could ever be lucky enough to hear that from ___ if I was ever discovered." He sniffs, wiping at his nose. "My damn eyes hurt. I'm not crying." He coughs looking away from Death. The blue haired guy blinks at him before looking away and putting a hand on the other's shoulder.   
"Hang in there boss…" He breathes.   
"What happened to them?" Tendo asks after a bit.  
"Dunno. I saw them off at that old harbor south of East Port… The place hasn't changed at all in years… I used ta go there from time to time… I would look for them there…" Death looks down with a small sad smile.   
"Why?" Tendo glances at him.  
"I uh… They… Not even my parents wanted me, especially after my quirk came out. They abandoned me on the side of the road like some mutt… Because my quirk makes me reek, everyone avoided me or couldn't stand ta be around me. I guess I just… Fell for em because they treated me like a friend." Death scratches his cheek looking away. "It's hard to find people like that…."   
"So that's why you warmed up to me so fast." Tendo smiles a bit. "But just so you know. My heart's taken."   
"I didn't say I was falling for you." Death snaps turning red and making Tendo snicker.  
"My my, Kobalt so quick on the defense." Tendo teases.  
"Yer a real cheeky fella…" Death scoffs looking ahead. Tendo just chuckles, glancing at him.  
"Well. I'm honored, Kobalt. Really… Us monsters should stick together after all." Tendo pats his back.

*~*~*~*

"What do you think?" You ask Ushijima as he eats quietly. He was a super quiet date. You weren't even sure if he was enjoying himself. You couldn't think of anything to talk about either.  
"It's good. You have good tastes." He says after a moment, peering at you. "Tendo said the same thing before, but I believe it now."   
"Should just believe Tendo." You smile swaying slightly. He watches you, seeming thoughtful.  
"I really should." He agrees, focusing on his food. You peer out the window, eating a bit more before sitting your silverware down. Why were you sitting here like nothing had happened? You discovered Death's apartment and wrestled with Midnight.You should've called the police. But now you're here, eating dinner with Ushijima like none of it happened. You didn't feel the need to tell anyone else about it either.  
'Midnight is dangerous. And Death… Well I can tell by the smell, his waters have killed so many people. I shouldn't have been so careless. I should've tried to stop them.' You close your eyes. But you didn't stop them. You were relieved when they escaped.   
"___?" Ushijima's voice brings you back and you look at him. "Are you okay?"  
"Hm? Yeah. I'm… I'm fine." You assure with a smile.   
"Alright. I'm ready to go if you are, we can go for a jog after we get back." He tells you.  
"Right. Good idea." You nod, paying for the bill before heading back to the dorm with him. Your mind wanders again during the walk, making you frown more, deciding to message Tendo. If there was one person you could talk to about this it was him. The non hero.  
"Do you want a hug?" Ushijima randomly asks, as you both near the dorm.  
"Yes please." You open your arms to him, coming to a stop. He smiles slightly and hugs you warmly, helping you relax. "Thank you. These are really nice… And you're so big.. You're like a blanket."   
"That so?" He smiles a bit more. "You seem so out of it all of a sudden I thought you might need one."   
"I guess I did. Thanks." You sigh. "Alright, let go get ready for the jog." You hum pulling away. He nods and you both go upstairs to change before heading out for the jog. You lead Ushijima down some of the streets, spending about an hour showing him the area before heading for the dorms.   
As the dorms come into view, you get a response from Tendo and stop. "Ah. You go ahead, Ushijima. I'm going to see a friend for a bit." You tell him, before jogging for the park near Kuri.   
Tendo happily greets you when you reach the park. "___! I missed you the whole time we were apart!" He gasps hugging you tightly. "How was your test?"  
"It was good. Even after Midnight and Death attacked." You tell him.  
"Whoa! What happened?" He gasps in surprise. So you tell him all about it. Then he hums, tilting his head as he watches you. "You… Are you okay? You seem like you're planning something bad."  
"I'm not. I just um…" You rub your face grumbling to yourself. "Are you okay? You said you weren't feeling well earlier."  
"Yeah. I just needed a really long nap." He smiles before leaning toward you. "Now spill those beans ___.”   
"I…. Think there's something wrong with me." You pout, rubbing your cheeks. "Tendo… I found Death's apartment today. And kinda ran into Midnight when I went to check it out." His eyebrows raise at that.  
"You're making a really nice face right now. What exactly happened?" He asks, lips twitching slightly. So you do and he puts a hand over his mouth. "___… Do you…. Like a villain?" He asks.   
"No! How could I!? He's a really bad guy!" You gasp turning red. "But he's so fun to fight and my quirk doesn't work on him… I… I don't know. I feel weird." You put your face in your hands. "That's why I said there's something wrong with me…" You grumble. "The mask probably doesn't help, that whole mystery thing is really enticing… If only I could get that damn thing off…"  
Tendo sits back, mouth opening and closing in both shock and pure amusement, a blush threatening his cheeks. "Well then… I uh… I'm really surprised and really interested about this." He leans forward trying to look at your face. "Are you breathing?"  
"I need someone to hit me… Really hard." You sit up frowning. "Wonder if I can piss off Oikawa again…."   
"You are not okay." Tendo rubs your cheek, regaining your attention. You give him a pout and he chuckles softly, leaning forward and kissing you. "If you wanna fall for a villain I won't tell." He whispers.  
"Somehow I knew you'd say that. The others would probably want to kick my ass if they heard…" You sigh. He chuckles again at that.  
"Definitely." He agrees moving even closer to you. "I think you should do whatever you want. Because there's no one that can really stop you." He breathes before kissing you again, deeply. You hum, kissing him back but starting to feel too restless. Should probably leave and stop this kiss now. He pulls you into his chest as if he could hear your thoughts of escape, deepening the kiss. Your fingers twitch, gripping his arms lightly.   
"Okay okay…" You break away for air, feeling yourself blush. "I-I should get back." You manage, but his grip doesn't loosen, making you peek at his face. A blush marked his cheeks, a slight hunger in his eyes looking down at you. He swallows and releases you, looking away suddenly.  
"Ah… Yeah. Good idea." He coughs, rubbing his neck. "Sorry…"   
"I-Its okay…" You assure, touching his arm. "Are you okay?"   
"Yeah. I just… Get so hungry sometimes." He chuckles sending you a small smile. "Be safe on your way back okay? I would walk with you but… Probably best if I don't right now."   
"Right. Sleep well." You wave before hurrying off. He watches after you before laughing to himself.   
"Ah… I love you ___. So much… You're starting to drive me crazy." He breathes looking at the sky. "Or… Crazier… Don't know how much more I can take."


	34. Date Under the Stars

"You went camp shopping without me? We were supposed to go as a group and make a day of it!" Oikawa pouts, pinching your cheeks.  
"Y-Ya shoulda said that before then!" You gasp trying to free your face.   
"You're right! I should have!" He snaps, not releasing your cheeks. "It doesn't matter though. You're still coming to the city with us!" He declares and hugs your head. "And you're going to spend the whole day with me."   
"I knew he was going to say that." Iwaizumi deadpans.   
"... Let's let him have it." Bokuto says, making the others look at him. "Means I get more time with ___ when we go camping." He gives a thumbs up.  
"Good idea. Though it won't be you." Iwaizumi hums strolling for the lobby.  
"This is going to be fun." Nishinoya smiles with a chuckle as competitive glances are shared.   
"Going to be annoying." Sakusa sighs.  
"Alright everyone! To the city!" Oikawa chimes, taking your hand.  
'Guess this is how my day is going to go now.' You think with a small blush as he gives you a soft smile. 'Why does he gotta be so pretty…'   
"I hate it…" Atsumu growls watching as Oikawa happily leads the way with you on his hand.  
"Let's just stomach it. He'll throw a fit if we interfere now." Kuroo pats his back.   
"True." Iwaizumi sighs. 

*-*-*

"This is that fella I told you about." Death introduces, patting the guy's back.   
"He's perfect! Just need to get him some eye contacts and we'll be golden!" Tendo hums looking him over thoughtfully. "But my dear ___ is taking a trip tomorrow so we'll wait. I want ___ to have a nice quiet break for now. And anyone that threatens that… Will just have to die." Tendo smiles before checking his phone. "Alright. Let's show our new friend here the people he'll be living with for a bit."  
"Isn't that a bit risky boss?" Death tilts his head.  
"Mm I don't see a future where we'll be caught. It'll be fun to mess with them before they leave. I wonder if anyone will notice the real from the fake." Tendo chuckles thoughtfully. "Plus we can get the contacts nearby."  
"Sounds like fun to me." The new nods with a curious smile. Tendo blinks at him and smiles more.  
"Even the voice fits! Let's go for a test." Tendo chimes leading the way out.  
"For a badass villain reputation… He's actually cute." The newbie comments in surprise.   
"It's a bit unsettling right?" Death huffs.  
"It really is." 

*+*+*+*+

"Tada! We'll go shopping at Camp World with everyone first. Then I'm going to steal you away on a very romantic date." Oikawa beams cutely as everyone gets off the bus.   
"Okay." You nod, blinking at his excited face. "But could you tone down the cuteness…"  
"Hm? But I'm not even trying to be." He tilts his head in confusion.   
"Oh right… You're just always like this when you're not mad or annoyed…" You mutter. 'That's a problem.'  
"___," He murmurs leaning closer and moving some hair from your face. "I want you to focus on me today. Okay?" He breathes. You pause and meet his beautiful brown eyes as they pierce yours with a gentle gaze. You blush more, opening your mouth to respond but Bokuto pulls you away with a growl, hugging you from behind.  
"Bokuto-san, you said you would let him have this." Akaashi responds.   
"I know!... I just… Don't go trying to kiss ___ in front of us! I'll stop you!" Bokuto points a finger at Oikawa.  
"I wasn't about to do that! You're the kissing fiend!" Oikawa retorts.   
"I think Osamu was worse about it back on the island." Atsumu points at his twin.  
"That was such a cool entrance though. Mika even painted it." You tell him, finding the picture on your phone to show him.   
"... Send me that." Osamu gasps lighting up.  
"That looks really romantic." Kenma murmurs.  
"Right?" You chuckle sheepishly.  
"Nope not at all… In fact. I hate it." Atsumu grumbles.  
"So lame Tsumu." You and Osamu say together as you send him the picture.  
"Don't speak in unison to me!" Atsumu snaps. "And that picture is lame. Not me!"  
"Oh, Mika also painted when Daishou brought up some juice to me back then too." You show them.  
"That's really cute." Nishinoya murmurs.  
"Right? From her point of view it is. That was when I asked to be his sidekick. I guess that's why the image stuck for her." You smile warmly. "Hey Oikawa-"  
"Of course you can." He smiles, opening his arms to you. "Just pry yourself away from Bokuto first." Bokuto pouts as you pull away. You cup his cheek softly before going to hug Oikawa.  
"Thanks. I'll message them then." You chime, doing so.   
"Alright, let's shop." Oikawa hums, taking your hand again and leading the way.   
Everyone manages to split up in groups once in the mall. Oikawa happily picking things out for the trip and asking your opinion on some. He was really sweet the whole time, taking pictures with you near some of the displays of stuffed animals and mock campsites. He really seemed happy just doing this.   
"I think we have enough now. Let's go drop it off on the bus and then go on our date." Oikawa says happily, leading the way out. You spot Kuroo peering out of a shop as you pass. You blink at him and offer a wave. He pauses and holds up a hand in response, watching you both go out.   
"That was weird.." Oikawa comments. "He looked like he was hiding or something."  
"Probably just trying to stay out of the way. Daishou told me that Kuroo nearly ruined one of his dates before." You assure and chuckle. "Kuroo seemed surprised when I mentioned it too."  
"The only one I think would ruin this date would be Bokuto… Or Ushijima." He tilts his head.  
"But Ushijima is harmless." You frown.   
".... You have no idea the monster he is…" Oikawa breathes. "What a lucky quirk he got." He grumbles.  
"I don't know much about his quirk. But yours is amazing Oikawa. And you use it so efficiently too." You point out. "Like that rain of daggers you did during the first attack was so cool. And then back in Inari…" You trail off, phasing out briefly. He blinks and peers at your face at that. "You really keep saving me with that quirk of yours…"   
"Of course. I'm going to be a hero you know?" He chuckles softly, turning your chin to him. He cups your cheek and gives a kiss on your forehead. "And I'm a senpai." He gives a big smile.  
"Right. A great hero and senpai." You chime.  
"Yes!" He hugs you happily. You chuckle and hug him back.   
You both reach the bus and load up the things before going back out. Oikawa takes your hand again, humming as he takes you to a little bistro to eat. You both sit near a window, chatting for a bit before a shadow comes over you both. You look over and choke on your drink as Bokuto and Kuroo make funny faces at you both. Oikawa scowls at them as you chuckle in amusement trying to wave them off.   
"Go on dorks." You snicker. Bokuto gives you a kissy face which you return to his delight, making Kuroo blush. Kuroo soon nudges Bokuto away and Oikawa chuckles lightly.  
"You make Kuroo so shy sometimes." He breathes.   
"I didn't do anything." You tilt your head.   
"Guess you don't need to. It's cute. And it's ammo against him later." He smirks.  
"That's mean." You frown lightly.  
"It's funny." He laughs softly. "Oh our food's here--" He freezes as Ushijima sets down the plates. "... What are you doing..?"  
"I came in to order but someone handed me these and they are for you." Ushijima informs with a straight face and confusion in his eyes.  
"Maybe that button up shirt wasn't such a good idea today. You look like a waiter here." You comment, glancing at another waiter. "Maybe if we unbutton…" You reach for his shirt but Oikawa swiftly grabs your hand.  
"Don't unbutton him in front of me." Oikawa scowls. You blink at him and blush.  
"Ah. Sorry I wasn't thinking… Here Ushijima, you can borrow my extra big owl hoodie then." You breathe, taking it off and passing it to him.  
"Why do you get them so big?" He inquires, putting it on.  
"Because walking around with a blanket is kinda frowned upon." You respond simply.   
"Good point…" He adjusts it. "Do I still look like a waiter?"  
"No. You just look adorable now." You give a thumbs up. He shifts and looks down at himself with a small smile making Oikawa frown.  
"Do you want a hug?" Ushijima looks back at you.   
"Really?" Oikawa sits back huffy.  
"Just a quick one." You breathe quickly getting up and hugging Ushijima. He hugs you back with a smile while Oikawa glares at him lightly.  
"Alright. Go away now." Oikawa scoffs, shooing Ushijima away. You sit back down with a chuckle. "I hate everyone in the dorm." He grumbles covering his face. You blink and move to point at yourself but he instinctively reaches out to lower your hand to the table. "Not you." He breathes before resting his cheek on his fist. His thumb trails over your knuckles before he focuses on eating.  
"You okay?" You murmur as you start to eat.   
"Yeah. It's kinda fun." He murmurs smiling slightly as he glances out the window. "Having them all nearby that is... Even if it's a bit annoying at the same time." He smiles a bit more, meeting your gaze. "And I do like that right now. Most of them are so jealous of me. Because I have you."  
"You enjoy the oddest things." You shake your head, making him chuckle.   
"Yeah. I guess I do." He breathes thoughtfully. You both finish eating and he pays before taking your hand again and heading to the planetarium he had pointed out earlier from the bus. He seems especially excited about this destination.   
"You know. I don't think I've ever been to one of these before." You admit peering about curiously.  
"Really? I thought Tendo took you everywhere?" Oikawa comments.  
"Mmm mostly secluded places, and outdoor areas. He doesn't see that well in the dark and he says he likes being able to see my face when we go to places." You tilt your head.  
"Alright. Then I'm the first on this one." He lights up. "I think you're really going to like this one." He smiles widely.   
"You're so bright right now." You breathe covering your eyes. He smiles more, bringing you into his side as he gets the tickets and leads you inside. It was dark as expected, everything getting lit up by a mock starry sky and planets easing overhead. Oikawa peeks at your face with a small smile as you blink up at the ceiling in awe, a smile spreading across your face, making his eyes soften.   
"Tone it down a bit. I won't be able to see the stars with you shining that brightly." He teases softly, poking your cheek. You pause and blush at that, looking away.  
"You…" You grumble. He smiles more at that, easing off his jacket.   
"It'll start getting cold in here, so put this on." He hums putting it around your shoulders and kissing your cheek. "Come on. The lower levels have more to see." He rumbles as you put on the jacket. You blink at him curiously and he guides you down the ramp to look over constellations on the walls.   
The next level is brighter with planets and moons floating over platforms. This is where Oikawa gets recognized, and a dozen or more fangirls swarm in, forcing you two apart. You smile a bit, watching him with his fans before deciding to head for the next level steadily to explore more. You stop on the ramp, reading one of the constellation descriptions.   
"Hey. Sorry about that." He hums, appearing beside you, touching your side.   
"That's okay. I know how popular you are." You send him a smile. "You smell nice now."  
"One of them sprayed me with a cologne her ex had…" He frowns lightly, pulling at his shirt. "Is it bad?" He peers at you.   
"No. I like it." You assure as he guides you onto the last level, a meteor shower zipping over the ceiling above, brilliant flashes of color dancing off of them. "Wow." You whisper. He blinks, peering at your face.  
"Your eyes reflect that perfectly." He hums, turning your chin to him. He smiles thoughtfully. "So beautiful ___.” He whispers, leaning forward, lips brushing yours. He pauses, glancing over. "Ah… More fangirls. I'll be right back." He taps your nose before disappearing into the crowded area nearby. You shake your head in amusement before looking back at the sky, blinking as a comet comes into view.   
"So pretty." You breathe, another voice echoes you and you pause, looking over at Kuroo.  
"Oh… Hey… Having fun?" He smiles with a head tilt.  
"Are you following us Kuroo?" You tilt your head.  
"What? No… I just… Um…" He looks away rubbing his neck. "Followed Bokuto in here. He was the one following." He says.  
"And where's Bokuto?" You peek about.  
"He's… Telling the girls that Oikawa's here…" He murmurs.  
"... That's… Really underhanded, and I don't believe you." You state.  
"Fine. Atsumu's the one doing it." He sighs.  
"Is everyone down here?" You huff.  
"... Kinda." He glances around. "Ah. Your date's coming back…" He swiftly moves away.   
"I'm so sorry about that ___. Please don't be mad." Oikawa says hugging you from behind with a pout.  
"I'm not. Really… Though it is your fault for being so handsome." You scoff.   
"Awe… You think I'm handsome and beautiful?" He grins. You huff looking at his face before kissing his cheek and making him pause with a blush. "Heh… I like that." He hums, peering at your face thoughtfully. "I really like you." He whispers. "Be mine." He leans forward to kiss you but a hand comes between you two and he ends up kissing it.  
"... Gross dude." Bokuto huffs.  
"You… Stop interfering!" Oikawa growls.   
"No." Bokuto frowns. Oikawa scoffs and the ceiling lights up brighter as more comets move overhead. You blink as Oikawa pauses before smiling at you and then pulling you into a romantic dip, kissing you deeply. "No! Damn you, that's romantic!"   
Oikawa and you chuckle as he pulls back to give you a smile, forehead touching yours. "So. How did you like our date?"   
"Almost as amazing as…" He pauses starting to pout. "You. What did you think I was about to say?" You chuckle. He smiles and straightens up with you, hugging you happily.   
"Nevermind." He breathes.   
"So can we go now?" Kuroo asks awkwardly.  
"... Alright. You guys are such moment ruiners!" Oikawa grumbles.  
"Hey I held back Bokuto for most of it. The guy is insanely jealous." Kuroo informs.   
"... I just… I want to hug ___. Oikawa has been hogging ___ all day." Bokuto pouts. "And he skipped my date! It was supposed to be my turn." He adds unhappily.  
"Should've been faster." Oikawa sticks out his tongue. Bokuto glares at him and you're lightly pulled away by Ushijima as those two start to bicker.   
"Let's head to the bus now." You sweatdrop. "They'll figure it out." You lead the others out. "Oh. I think this is where I got my owl hoodie. I'm going to go get Bokuto one. Meet you guys at the bus." You tell them, quickly jogging off for the plaza, going into the shop and looking around for the hoodie for a bit. You finally find it at the corner of the store. You go through the sizes and frown. "They're not big enough."  
"Might need to ask one of the workers." Oikawa hums, making you jump in surprise. "You left me." He sends you a pout.  
"Sorry. I figured you and Bokuto can work it out." You smile sheepishly.   
"That's alright. Just wanted to steal some more alone time with you while I can…" He breathes before peering about. He signals a worker for you and asks for a bigger size for the hoodie. "While we wait on that one. Let me get you another." He tilts his head, taking your hand.  
"Sure… I'll let you pick." You chuckle.  
"Ooo… Big decision… Let's see…" He looks around carefully with a small smile. "How about this one here." He points to one.  
"A spacey one huh? Should've guessed." You chuckle in amusement as he picks out a big one for you.  
"And look at this. It has an alien hood. You're going to be a cute little alien." He laughs lightly. He peeks at you with observant brown eyes. "You really want me to pick? Because this is going to be it."   
"Yeah. It's cute. I like it. And it reminds me of you." You chuckle. He blinks and pauses, before grinning.  
"Alright then." He takes you to the register to pay for it. "Looks like that worker's not back yet… I should get back to the bus though. So I'll see you there okay?" He tips your chin.  
"Yeah." You lean up and peck his lips, feeling a bit of a spark as you pull back. "Be careful."   
"You too." He smiles cupping your cheek before heading back out. Before too much longer, the worker comes back with a bigger sized owl hoodie which you cheerfully buy before returning to the bus, everyone waiting just outside of it.   
"Bokuto! Look! We're going to match now." You chime, holding up the hoodie. He blinks and gasps happily with a light blush, pulling it on before bear hugging you.  
"I love it! And you! So much love!" He gushes happily.  
"Bokuto-san calm down, your wings are going to rip it." Akaashi says, coming over to cut some slots for the other's wings to spread out, one hitting Atsumu.  
"Oi! Watch it!" Atsumu snaps.  
"Sorry! ___ just made me so happy." Bokuto laughs.   
"Oikawa, you can have your jacket back. I'm going to wear my new hoodie." You hand him his jacket before pulling on the hoodie, flipping up the hood. Oikawa freezes, turning red and covering his eyes as he sinks to his knees. "Oikawa-- Tooru? You okay..?" You blink, leaning over.  
"... I… You just stole my heart." He manages looking up at you with a slight sniffle. "Why are you so cute? I think I'm really in love now…."   
"Ah." You blink in surprise, blushing. "I-I just put on a hoodie…"  
"And stole my heart in the process." He huffs.   
"Ugh… That's enough. No more." Sakusa pulls you away and onto the bus. "___'s sitting with me. You're all being too gross." He adds. You pause and relax a bit from that, going to sit near one of the windows. Sakusa sits beside you with an exhausted sigh. You touch his arm and he peers at you before leaning on you quietly in response. You chuckle and hug his arm at that, getting comfortable as you close your eyes, head resting against his shoulder.   
"Killjoy." Oikawa whispers as he passes Sakusa, who just chuckles and shakes his head.

*+*+*+

"So did you mingle well?" Tendo hums as the newbie comes into the apartment.  
"Yep. I don't think anyone really noticed a difference." The newbie smiles lightly.  
"Did you see my cute ___?" Tendo gushes.  
"I did. Very cute." He nods.  
"Good. I was worried the foxes would notice you but I guess not. We'll definitely have to do something about that before sending you over there. And there is the matter of what to do with the one you'll be replacing..." Tendo puts a knuckle to his chin. "Killing him is a big no no. Unless we want ___ to completely wipe us off the map…" He snaps his fingers. "Oh. I can make money and lure out Claw with him!" He grins. "And we'll get to kill the bastard Glow." He licks his lips and chuckles.   
"Ya really got blood in those eyes boss." Death says, refraining from shivering.  
"Of course. I got a score to settle with those bastards…" He swings his arm, bluish blade firing into a pinned newspaper on the wall, catching it on fire before the blade springs back into place. "So hurry back from your vacation ___. I got work to do."


	35. Mt. Aka Campgrounds

"Alright. Everyone got everything?" Sugawara asks, going over his little checklist.  
"Yes." Everyone answers. Ushijima picks up yours and his things, making you frown lightly.  
"I can carry something too." You murmur.  
"You got the snacks." He looks back at the little cooler.   
'Compared to what you're carrying this is nothing though…' You think with a small huff. He glances at you before offering you your backpack. You blink and smile putting it on. He smiles a bit looking ahead as everyone starts out to the bus.  
"___!" A familiar and cute call sounds making you look over as Mika tackle hugs you, giving you a kiss on the cheek. "Sorry we're late."  
"W-What? N-No problem at all." You manage with a blush smiling sheepishly.   
"Mika. It's too early for you two to be this cute." Daishou yawns slightly.  
"Ah. Didn't get enough sleep, boss?" You tilt your head.  
"Actually he said he was too excited and didn't sleep much." Mika whispers to you.  
"You are just too cute." You smirk at Daishou making him straighten with a light blush.  
"Mika…" He tosses her an embarrassed frown.   
"What? I told you ___ would agree with me." She giggles as you chuckle in amusement.  
"And here he said it was too early for US to be cute." You shake your head. Daishou gives you a half-hearted glare now, stepping closer to pinch your cheek.  
"Stop being cheeky with me ___.” He breathes.  
"Was that a pun?" You blink in surprise.  
"Yeah he starts making bad jokes when he's tired." Mika hums.   
"Awww boss." You laugh hugging him. He blushes more with a scowl at that.  
"You're the worst when you two start working together." He grumbles hugging you back.  
"Awe… Picture." Mika giggles taking a picture of you two.   
"Mika…" Daishou huffs.  
"You too." You chuckle, both you and Daishou pulling her into the hug.  
"Okay, smile at the camera." She chimes taking a selfie with you two chuckling.  
"... It's too early for whatever this cuteness is. Break it up." Kuroo says, pulling you away from Daishou with a light glare.  
"Oh Kuroo. Didn't see you there." Daishou smiles slyly.  
"I'm not surprised. You got my cute kouhai and Mika giving you such a hard time after all." He smirks. Daishou blinks before putting his arms around you and Mika.   
"Yeah but it's so nice first thing in the morning you know? Oh. Guess you wouldn't." Daishou tilts his head. Kuroo straightens, touching your arm and pulling you away.   
"___, it's time to get on the bus." He hums, giving Daishou a tight smile. Everyone boards the bus at that.  
"So the campsite area is kinda on a slope, with platforms to set up tents on the way down. But there's not much room, so only two tents can fit on each platform." Oikawa informs after everyone is on the bus.   
"You sound like you've been here a few times before." Kuroo comments from his seat beside you.  
"Yeah, I brought a few of my exes here before…" He trails off and coughs, glancing at you. "A-anyway… I was thinking we should draw papers to see who gets who as a camping neighbor." He chimes as Akaashi gets up with a bag, pulling a slip of paper out.   
"I got Kenma." He states before coming along the isle for the people sitting on the outside to pick. He reaches Kuroo who draws out a paper and grins.  
"Brooo!" He calls.  
"Broooooo!" Bokuto cheers.   
"Alright, Ushijima." Akaashi holds out the bag. Ushijima picks a paper and makes a face.  
"... Oikawa."  
"Pick again!" Oikawa gasps.  
"Oh no you don't." Iwaizumi points at them. "It's fair this way so deal with it."   
"And Sakusa." Akaashi holds out the bag as Sakusa puts on a glove before reaching in and taking out a paper. He sighs in relief.  
"Little Destroyer." He holds up the paper.  
"Yay! I got Kiyoomi!" You cheer.  
".... Let's pick again." Iwaizumi decides.  
"Akaashi." You call, motioning for the bag. He pauses and blinks, offering it to you. You take off your right glove and burst the bag and contents, making him and Kuroo stiffen. "Oops. Guess we're all stuck now." You smile, putting your glove back on.   
"Could you give me a bit of a warning next time?" Akaashi whispers leaning over to give you a small frown.   
"S-sorry Akaashi. Didn't mean to surprise you.." You smile sheepishly. He huffs, giving your cheek a light squeeze before straightening.  
"Unfortunately that's no longer possible." He informs the others.  
"Eh??"  
"Hehe ___, that was cute." Mika giggles from her seat behind you.  
"Had to be done or we'd be at that all day." Kuroo sighs. "Good job." He sends you a smile.  
"Thanks Senpai." You smile. He pauses and immediately looks away without a response.  
"Pfft." Daishou snorts behind him, making Kuroo scowl with a blush.   
"Lame." The twins say from across the aisle.  
"Shut it you brats." Kuroo growls at them.   
"That's rude you guys. Kuroo's not lame in the slightest." You scold them. "In fact he's one of the coolest senpais we got." You grin.   
"You… You really don't need to do that." Kuroo murmurs, putting a hand over his reddening face. You smirk making the twins blink and snicker mischievously.   
"But you are Kuroo. Soo cool and manly." You chime.   
"My my. Senpai sure is getting red." Atsumu hums.  
"You okay sitting there, super cool senpai?" Osamu chuckles.  
"Of course he is. Kuroo's a stone. Nothing phases him!" You declare, ruffling his hair.  
"Now now ___. Don't tease Kuroo so much he can't handle people he likes being cute." Daishou snickers.   
"Oi stop ganging up on me!" Kuroo scoffs, removing his hand from his red face, frowning heavily but keeping his eyes closed. You blink at his face, smirking still.   
"Sorry sorry…" You breathe, tipping his chin, making his eyes flash open. "I can't help it. You're so cute like this, really makes me want to be mischievous." You whisper grinning. His eyes widen at that, somehow getting redder. The twins blush as well.  
"Oi oi. ___ you're going to kill him!" Atsumu gasps.  
"Eh? Oh. Sorry senpai. I'll behave now." You blink sitting back in your seat with a hum. He slowly turns his head to you with a small glare.  
"You really act like a demon sometimes ya know…" He grumbles.  
"Hm? Something wrong Kuroo?" You tilt your head innocently.   
"What a dangerous spot for him to be in…" Sakusa mutters, watching the tops of your and Kuroo's head. "___ is like a cat with a mouse right now."  
"___ should be careful though, Kuroo does have a breaking point. And if he gets there the tables will turn." Kenma murmurs, playing on his phone. "Then again. ___ might just keep surprising him."   
"Probably the second one. ___ is the best at surprises." Sakusa rests his chin on his fist, smiling beneath his mask. Kenma peeks at him.  
"You're good at surprises too. Mostly because no one ever expects it from you." Kenma comments, looking at his phone again.

After a while the bus comes to a stop at the campground entrance and everyone gets off.   
"Looks like it's just us." Iwaizumi comments.  
"That's weird. It's usually a popular spot…" Oikawa frowns.  
"Apparently it's haunted now." Kenma hums, showing his phone to Oikawa. "I was checking it out during the ride. Apparently ghosts have been appearing and keeping everyone up at night."  
"Ehh?" Oikawa huffs.  
"Oh… Great." Iwaizumi tosses Oikawa a glare at that.   
"Yooo! This just got so much cooler!" Ryuu roars. You and Nishinoya light up at that.  
"Yooo!" You and Nishinoya cheer together.  
"Do we have anything for ghost hunting?" You gasp to Nishinoya.  
"No. But I think Akaashi can make something." He grins and the three of you rush over to Akaashi.   
"Akaashi~!" You chime.   
"Well. Looks like they're fine with it…" Iwaizumi sighs as Kuroo and Bokuto swiftly join you.  
"But… Iwa-chan, ghosts are scary. Let's leave." Oikawa whispers.   
"Oi… Don't be a coward now… Besides. These kinds of spooky things can be fun too." Iwaizumi smirks a bit. "For revenge, and other things."   
"Ohhh… I almost forgot." Oikawa straightens up. "You're much scarier than any ghost."  
"... I'm going to hit you."   
"Please don't Iwa-chan."

*+*+*+*

"Hey boss…" The newbie straightens up, looking at his phone.  
"Yeah Rakurai?" Tendo hums, one of his eyes glowing as he draws out blueprints.   
"Where did you say your friend was going to camp again?" Rakurai's sky blue eyes slide over to the villain.   
"Mount Aka Campgrounds. Located south of here approximately one hour away." Tendo breathes. "Why?"  
"Says it's haunted." Rakurai comments. Tendo stops, blinking back and peering at him.  
"Huh?"   
"See?" Rakurai shows him with a small smile. Tendo blinks a few times before puffing his cheeks.  
"I'm going to miss ___'s cute scared face?!" He bursts. "No way! There had to be some cameras there right?" He looks around at the others.   
"Heh heh. Boss is cute in this state." Rakurai chuckles.  
"I'm being serious!" Tendo snaps.   
"I know boss." Rakurai taps Tendo's nose. "But Death-san has already prepared for that." They both look at the blue haired man.  
"It's a good thing it rained last night after I set them up. Washed my scent away." Death smiles.  
"... Kobalt…?" Tendo blinks a few times.   
"Come on. Might as well show you now that Rakurai got ya all worked up now." He chuckles, leading them out and across the hall, unlocking the door for another apartment and opening it for him. "I got that whole campsite covered with hunting cameras. So ya can watch over ___ when the scary night comes." Death rumbles as Tendo steps toward one of the monitors, touching your excited face on one of the screens. He smiles softly before spinning about and hugging Death.   
"Kobalt! I'm going to get you whatever you need from now on! You're such a good friend!" He gushes ruffling Death's hair with both hands, making the man blush heavily.  
"O-Oi! I'm older than ya! Dontcha treat me like a lad!" He snaps.   
"My my, Death-san is so red." Rakurai says with a chuckle, covering his nose.   
"Ah. Sorry Rakurai." Death passes him a metallic mask. "Not everyone can get used to it. This should help though."  
"I'm the one that's sorry. I was really trying." Rakurai sighs, putting on the mask and pausing as it turns on. "This works really well."  
"Of course. I made it myself." Tendo beams, putting his hands on his hips.  
"Boss is really good at making things like that." Death chuckles.  
"Not really. I just pick the routes that don't blow up." Tendo shrugs. "I messed up the first lightning blade I stole because I was careless. But now I can make them myself." He smiles.   
"Why lightning blades though?" Rakurai tilts his head.   
"Because they stop ___'s quirk. Even though it's for a moment it helps. ___ can fix the arm if it comes undone. I feel bad though because apparently it hurts like hell when it's repaired. But it's better than giving that quirk a chance to properly warm up…" His eyes narrow a bit and he looks to the screens. "Though, the titanium and lightning can only stop ___ for a bit. The stronger they get. The harder it's going to be to keep my promise."  
"Promise?" Rakurai tilts his head, sky blue eyes glinting with curiosity. Tendo pauses, and suddenly stares at him with an unreadable expression that makes chills go down his comrades' spines. "Ah n-nevermind! I didn't say any-!"   
"Oh! Rakurai! This'll be a great chance for you to study everyone! You'll blend in better then!" Tendo suddenly gasps happily, making Rakurai jump.   
"Ah… Y-Yes boss. I'll do that." He manages.  
"Oki doki! Let me know if anything fun happens! I gotta get back to making the blueprint for the Claw base we're going to obliterate!" Tendo chimes heading out back across the hall.  
"Scary." Rakurai sighs.  
"Think that one's scary ya should see how his best friend is when they get mad." Death huffs. "So make sure you study up. If ya get that one soft on ya you'll probably be able to survive."   
"And that one's a hero? Yeesh…" Rakurai huffs looking at the screens. "Still I'm getting kinda excited." He admits with a chuckle.  
"Good. Nice ta have you." Death rumbles before going after Tendo. Rakurai takes a seat, looking over the screens before chuckling.   
"Let's all get along well guys. I'm so curious about all of you." He smirks, arms folding behind his head. 

-*-*-*

"Oh…" You shiver slightly.   
"Here you go." Ushijima puts a jacket over your shoulders.   
"Oh thanks Wakatoshi." You send him a smile pulling it on before focusing on finishing up your tent. "That was weird though I don't even feel cold."  
"Maybe someone stepped on your grave." Nishinoya comments.  
"That hasn't happened in a while, I must've died somewhere secluded then." You tilt your head.   
"Can we not say such things right now!?" Oikawa scolds you both.  
"Easy easy." Nishinoya and you wave at him.   
"You're way too easy going right now!" He gasps.  
"Oi. Get away from my tent. Stop crowding. Or else." Sakusa growls, peering out of his tent with a glare.  
"Sorry…" Everyone moves away from him at that. You chuckle, peering at Sakusa in amusement.  
"Oh! Nishinoya! Think the lake's haunted too?" You ask.  
"Let's change and check it out!" Nishinoya grins.   
"Yes!" You dive into your tent and close it up to change as the others rush to do so as well.   
"Gross. That water's not even clear." Sakusa huffs.   
"I figured you wouldn't want to join us." You hum as you finish changing and leave your tent, going over to crouch in front of him. "You don't plan to stay in your tent the whole time we're here do you?" You smile teasingly as he focuses on your eyes, pink hinting at his face.   
"... Maybe. Don't come near me until you get a proper bath after going in that water." He scoffs.   
"I know, I know Kiyoomi. I'm prepared don't worry," You assure leaning into his tent a bit, nose brushing his.   
"O-Oi…" Sakusa manages, tensing slightly and starting to lean back. You hook a finger beneath his mask, pulling it down and making his face turn pink.  
"The air is so fresh here Kiyoomi. You don't need to wear that mask." You smile tilting your head. His brow twitches and he suddenly kisses you fiercely, fangs poking your bottom lip for a brief intense moment, making you freeze and hum in surprise. He pulls back to give you a light glare.   
"I'm not a mouse, ___. And I do bite." He breathes huskily, making you blush heavily.   
"... Ah… The cactus is the best!" You gush, hugging his neck and making him fall into his back.   
"Oi oi! G-Get off!" He gasps, blushing more and carefully grabbing your sides, pushing you back slightly. "I swear you're the worst!"   
"Hehe oh no Kiyoomi, where's your gloves?" You snicker.  
"Sh-Shut it. I know I can't paralyze you like this so it's fine." He grumbles, finally managing to sit back up, keeping you at bay.  
"Good. I'll come for that last one later okay?" You chuckle before getting out and moving to join the others down at the lake. Sakusa falls back again with a heavy sigh, tossing his mask to the corner of his tent and chuckling, smiling to himself softly.   
"Damn you…"   
"I'm surprised you guys can get in that water." Kuroo huffs, sitting on a big rock near the bank.   
"What? It's not like black water." You chuckle splashing him and making him chuckle.   
"You got a very solid point there." He comments.  
"I know!" You beam.   
"___! Let's do a chicken fight!" Bokuto suddenly hugs you happily.   
"You're on!" The others shout.  
"Alright my love! Let's go!" Bokuto swiftly puts you on his shoulders. You laugh, fingers ruffling his hair briefly before focusing on your opponents.   
"Bring it on." You beckon them.   
"Alright Samu! Let's take down the owls!" Atsumu rumbles, arms flexing as his twin rushes Bokuto with him on his shoulders.   
"And it's a joust between the foxes and and owls! Who will be the winners!?" Kuroo announces like a commentator.   
"Not the foxes." Futakuchi rumbles, Aone suddenly moving beside Osamu. You and the twins pause as Futakuchi lightly touches Atsumu's test and sends him skipping over the water.  
"And a surprise attack from Futakuchi sends Atsumu skipping like a stone!" Kuroo gasps.   
"Pfft… Futakuchi that's dirty." You snicker.   
"Your turn." Futakuchi chuckles as they turn on you.   
"I got you ___. Let's go." Bokuto grins standing his ground. You smile and get ready as Aone suddenly rushes in. Futakuchi reaches to touch you but you swiftly catch his forearms, keeping his hands away.  
"You're not that strong ___.” His muscles ripple as he starts over power you.   
"Hold on. If we're using quirks then, I'm not going to lose." Nishinoya chuckles from on Ryuu's shoulders. His wind deity grasps Futakuchi and tosses him overhead.   
"Whoa. I almost went with him!" You gasp, pulling your arms back.   
"Alright ___! Your-" A metal net comes over Nishinoya's head and he is pulled off of Ryuu's shoulders.  
"I won't lose either." Akaashi breathes.  
"Akaashi!" You and Bokuto cheer.   
"Don't look so happy. I'm coming for you." He says lowly. You and Bokuto tense at that.  
"Bokuto-"  
"Yeah. Let's run." Bokuto shivers, wings opening up and bursting out of the water.  
"The owls have left the water! Akaashi and Iwaizumi are the winners!" Kuroo declares.  
"Oi! Get back down here and put up a proper fight!" Iwaizumi calls after you two.   
"I really don't want to lose… But Akaashi is kinda scary. Accompanied by Iwaizumi they're just terrifying.." You huff.  
"Right? How are we-" There's a rattle of chains and you both look down as a chain wraps around Bokuto's angle, suddenly swinging you both down into the water. Bokuto releases you so you both can swim back up for air.  
"Okay. Didn't know Oikawa joined in." You cough as Bokuto shakes his head to get the water out of his ear. He pauses and looks over, suddenly grabbing you and ducking under the water as someone hits the water nearby. You look back in the murky water, spotting Akaashi and Iwaizumi. You blink and swim to get Akaashi while Bokuto grabs Iwaizumi, swimming back up.   
"This got out of control fast." Iwaizumi coughs.  
"You okay Akaashi?" You murmur as he takes in a few breaths. He blinks and seems to suddenly realize who had him by the waist.   
"... Yes. Thank you very much." He says stiffly, his whole body tensing up.   
"Focus Akaashi. Oikawa and Daishou are going overboard over there." Bokuto says.  
"Right." Akaashi swiftly moves away, focusing on the last standing pair.   
"Unfortunately Oikawa's not the only threat on that one. Boss's quirk is pretty amazing in and out of water." You hum. "Okay. I'll handle Daishou. You guys team up on Oikawa. Together we'll take them both down."  
"Clearly this is no longer a game of chicken…" Akaashi deadpans before smiling a bit. "But this sounds fun too."   
"Doesn't it?" You chuckle, locking on Daishou. "Let's go challenge the top." You breathe, making them grin and all of you rush the pair. You dive under the water after taking in a long breath. You swim up to them, chains flashing out above the waters. You circle behind them, pausing as Daishou's tail comes out, swishing behind him. He knew you were there. You smile a bit, diving under his tail and grabbing his legs and trying to knock him down. His tail wraps around your waist, trying to pull you off but you wrap around his leg and bite his calf. He shouts, lifting his leg instinctively and falling over with Oikawa.   
You swiftly let go and stand up to get air, coughing and laughing at the same time. "I win!"  
"You little shit!" Daishou gasps, getting up and grabbing your shoulders with a tight smile.   
"Heh. Sorry boss. I just remembered how much you hate it." You snicker, smiling up at him.   
"___! Daishou! That was so fun to watch!" Mika cheers, crashing into you from behind, making you all fall into the water. You move to catch yourself instinctively, pausing as yours and Daishou's lips meet. Your eyes lock with his and there's a silent moment of panic shared between you two before you swiftly get up, coughing.  
"M-Mika! You okay!? You surprised us!" You gasp, checking on her as she gets up.  
"Yeah! Hehe! I want to play now too." She beams.  
"God she's cute." You and Daishou sigh before stiffening.   
"Ah… You guys have fun! I'm going to shower and go bug Kiyoomi." You declare swiftly getting out of the water and heading for the rest area. You pause looking over when a small figure catches your eye, but there wasn't anything there. Weird. You shake your head and divert your path to your tent to grab your bag before going to the rest area and going in to wash up.   
As you finish showering and turn off the water, a soft and quiet time catches your ear, like a child humming. You pause and dry off, listening as you get dressed. Sounded like it was right outside your shower stall. You step out, pulling on your gloves and peering around carefully.  
"Hello?" You ask lightly, making the humming stop. You frown, checking the stalls before going to the door to leave.  
'Do you want to play?' A small voice asks, making you jump and look back, only finding the room was still empty.  
"... Haha. Yeah. Let's play." You huff before going out and returning to your tent as Sakusa starts a small campfire.  
"You look annoyed." Sakusa comments.   
"I think one of the others is messing with me." You grumble, sitting beside him.   
"Really? But you're the only one I saw come back from the lake so far." He comments.   
"So it was you." You raise an eyebrow.  
"No. I was busy making this nice. Sanitizing fire." He breathes, poking at the flames, watching them flicker.   
"Your eyes look so nice right now." You breathe, making him pause and glance at you.   
"... You look nice right now." He murmurs quietly with a blush. You blink and grin, kissing his cheek.   
"Awww… Kiyoomi-" You pause as he kisses you.  
"Just going to call me by my first name now?" He huffs. You blink and rest your head on his shoulder with a small smile.  
"Yeah."   
"Okay… I can handle that." He smiles a bit.  
"Where did Ushijima go?" You ask.  
"I think he said something about jogging down one of the trails… I don't think he can swim." He informs.  
"Oh really? I know what I'm doing tomorrow then." You comment.  
"You just got a little too happy about that…"  
"Maybe… I want you to come swim with me at least once before we leave here."  
"No. Please spare me."


	36. I'm Not Scared

You stretch watching the others eat and chat cheerfully as the sun starts to go down. "Ushijima still hasn't come back." You breathe, getting up, making Kiyoomi look at you. "Kenma. Lend me your eyes to find Ushijima please." You call going over to him. He blinks at you and nods before his eyes change and he looks about.   
"He's down that trail… Looks like he's pretty far actually…" Kenma points.   
"Alright I'll go check on him. Osamu can you pass me a water bottle please?" You request.  
"Sure thing. I'll keep the food warm for him." He says.  
"Can I go with you? I love trails." Mika hugs your arm cheerfully.  
"O-oh sure." You blush a bit.  
"You wanna come Daishou?" She asks him, making you both pause. You and Daishou glance at each other before he quickly looks away.  
"No. You two have fun." He manages. Mika tilts her head at that and you quickly lead her off down the trail at that.   
"...Did something happen between you and Daishou?" She asks, making you tense.  
"Ah… well… Why do you ask?" You try to play it off.   
"Well… He's kinda acting the same way after we accidentally kissed during field day after we met." She puts a knuckle to her chin. She looks at you and you swallow, looking down guilty.  
"Yeah… Sorry about that." You murmur making her gasp.  
"Really? When!?" She asks curiously, shocking you.  
"Ah… When you crashed into us earlier." You admit.  
"Awww! That's so cute!" She gushes.   
"... Huh…?" You manage, utterly lost. "But aren't you two…"  
"Oh we've been on break for a while. I still like him but… I want him to focus on his dream." She smiles.   
"Oh. Okay makes sense. You're such a sweet thing." You chuckle relaxing. She giggles and cuddles your arm.  
"To be honest. I ship you two." She says lightly, making you blush.  
"... What??" You blink.  
"Yeah…" She blushes a bit. "I keep painting you two. Daishou thinks it's because I like you both. But you know… I really really want to see the day when the news comes on and you two are on it saving the day together." She breathes, drawing on invisible hearts on your arms. "... Do you think I'm weird?"   
"No. I… Think you're full of surprises. Because everytime you come near me you just put me in either shock or awe. Or both. I'm feeling both right now." You ramble a bit.  
"Hehe. You're cute ___." She smiles.   
"Me? You're cute." You huff. You both blink at each other before hugging and laughing. "Ah… I think you're bad before my brain."  
"You'll be fine. You think fast." She giggles. You chuckle, both of you leaning on each other slightly as you peer about. "I think you should talk to him about it." She says suddenly. You grumble with a blush.   
"Y-You're right. It was just an accident." You rub your cheek.  
"I can't wait to paint that too." She breathes, taking out her phone. "Did I show you this one? Sorry I just made up your costume because I don't know how yours looks." She shows you the other painting she had done of you and Daishou, looking like a pair of heroes about to go into battle.   
"I look so cool in that! Is that Daishou's costume!? It suits him perfectly!" You gasp in amazement, bouncing slightly.   
She grins watching you happily. "Really? You really like it? I'll send it to you. I just wasn't sure if you'd be okay with the costume." She blushes, tucking some hair behind her ear.   
"I love it! Thank you so much." You tell her. "You know, we can update our costumes at any time. Tendo designed mine, but I'd really like to combine yours with it. If that's okay?"   
"Eh? Really? That'd make me so happy!" She chimes with a bounce.   
"Then it's settled. Heh you're so cute." You chuckle. She blinks at you and leans up, kissing the corner of your mouth.  
"C-Come on. We're supposed to go get Ushijima right?" She hurries ahead in embarrassment. You blink a few times before nodding at nothing.  
"I love camping…" You mutter before rushing after her, someone running along the trees in your peripheral vision makes you freeze and look over. You search for a moment before frowning lightly and moving to Mika's side.  
"I'm sorry about that. I don't know what came over me." She covers her face.  
"That's okay Mika, I don't mind." You rub her back. "I'm really honored actually you're super cute and talented." You scratch your cheek. "It's just… Odd. I… I only had Kiyoomi and Tendo with me until I came to Raizu. Now there's so many people that think way more of me than I ever thought of myself… It's unreal…"   
"Is it?" Mika tilts her head. "But you've been really nice and always putting everyone first. You think so much of people too. Who wouldn't want to love you for that?" You blink and blush lightly before frowning softly.  
"I… Uh… I don't feel like I deserve any of it though?" You look down. "Like. I thought the world of my parents. Now my dad's gone and my mom left me alone. And Tendo's been there but at the same time it doesn't feel like it… It doesn't feel like the love being tossed at me is real. Because I honestly don't understand why I'm receiving any." You stop, looking at your hands, your mind trying to turn your thoughts self-destructive.   
"___." Ushijima's voice sounds and makes you blink back, looking at him to find he was standing in front of you and Mika.   
"W-Wakatoshi. When did you…" He pulls you into a tight hug and Mika takes your hand, wiping one of the tears that had left her eyes.  
"It's real. All of it." He states. You blink, tears flooding your eyes at that. You sniff and bury your face in his chest, one hand gripping his shirt while the other gives Mika's hand a squeeze.   
"I-Im sorry… I didn't mean to say all those things out loud." You sniffle.   
"That's okay. I'm glad you said something. Now I know we need to love you harder for you to feel it." Mika manages softly, gripping your hand firmly.  
"Heh… That's okay…" You breathe relaxing before looking up at Ushijima. "I uh… Brought you some water. You were gone so long I was starting to worry about you." You offer a small smile. He blinks down at you.   
"Sorry for worrying you then… And thank you." He breathes releasing you. "I'm… Really glad you snuck onto campus and spent the night with me." He adds lightly looking down with a small blush. Mika gaps at that, putting a hand over her mouth and peering at you.  
"I-It wasn't like that!" You gasp. "We did share the bed, b-but I couldn't sleep without cuddles." You tell her.  
"Aww that's so cute." She giggles. "So who are you sharing your tent with then?" She tilts her head.  
"... I want to say Kiyoomi but that is very dangerous." Your shoulders droop. "I did not think that far ahead…"  
"Should I tell Daishou?" She teases.  
"N-No. Things are already weird with the boss right now." You swiftly shake your head with a blush.   
"Well I would but I'd be too nervous or happy to sleep." She giggles.   
"That's okay because you'd probably be bad for my heart anyway. That's just… Too much cuteness at night and in the morning." You wave your hand. "I'll be fine. I'm sure I can handle sleeping on my own in a tent… If I can't then.. Wakatoshi-"   
"Yes." He nods without hesitation.  
"Thanks. Let's get going back."

*-*-*-*

"... You okay boss?" Rakurai asks, peering at Tendo as he watches the monitor with you on it.   
"Yeah…" Tendo answers softly. He couldn't hear what was said but he could somewhat read your lips and understand what it was from Mika's and Ushijima's reactions. His red eyes narrow slightly. 'You say those things sometimes. About things not feeling real…' He frowns heavily. "___'s about to have a break down…" He sighs, rubbing his face. "But I can't go unless I'm called. If I show up now it'll be suspicious…"  
"But you'll worry if ya dont." Death guesses.  
"Being there when I'm needed is my job. And ___'s breakdowns can be messy…" Tendo murmurs. "But… I can't see me being needed this time… And that bothers me way more." He raises his head to look at the screen, one of his eyes glowing. He pouts softly and sits back, fiddling with his fingers.   
"So is something going to get destroyed? Or…" Rakurai raises an eyebrow.  
"Not normally… ___ actually gets really sneaky about them. And they're so quiet. Unless you know the warning signs you wouldn't know it's about to happen." Tendo hums. "___ doesn't like anyone knowing when the thoughts start to turn but sometimes it slips out like a quiet plea. If ___'s left alone that right hand starts to look like a really inviting friend." Tendo breathes and closes his eyes. "I know it tries to pull me in sometimes."  
"... Whoa boss…" Rakurai frowns.  
"I can't expect you to understand. You've never seen how easily that quirk can erase someone. And there's no pain when ya unravel… I think my teammate from Bloody Horizon said it was freeing in a way. It bothered him so much though.. So I had to wipe his memory of it. Then he had those really intense dreams of it, so I had to wipe his memory of it again... Memories really are odd. You can never completely get rid of them, your body still remembers feelings and instinctively dreads something you tucked away at the back of your mind until it's triggered…" He looks at the screens again.  
"Even with all those people there with them? They still going down?" Death tilts his head.  
"Yes. Even the most crowded places can make you feel lonely. It's not much different if there are family or friends there too. Those whispers start to grow into the loudest shouts and drown everything else out, convincing you that it'll be okay if you leave this world." Tendo swallows a bit. Death puts a hand on his shoulder, frowning heavily in concern. "I'm okay Kobalt. I'm just repeating what ___ has told me." Tendo pats his hand with a soft smile.   
"It breaks my heart everytime though." Tendo sighs watching you. "When the person you care about most starts thinking about getting rid of themselves. I can kill anyone else that threatens ___ without a second thought. But I can't do anything when it's me protecting them from themselves… All I can do is hug them and try to make my voice heard over the bad ones." His eyes narrow. "Where's my phone?" He looks about.   
"Here boss. Me and Rakurai are gonna get some food. Whatcha want?" Death hands it to him.   
"... Surprise me. I'm not very hungry right now." Tendo responds.  
"You're never very hungry boss…" Rakurai frowns lightly.  
"... That's probably why I can't bulk up more…" Tendo pouts. "Eggs. I want eggs."   
"Good choice boss. Let's go lad." Death says turning to the door. Rakurai nods and gets up, giving Tendo a quick hug before going out after the other.  
"I'm so lucky to get such good partners this time around." He mutters before calling you.

*-+*-+*-+*

"Oi! ___! Tendo's calling you!" Atsumu calls when you reach camp, bringing you your phone.  
"Oh, thanks… What timing." You hum before answering it. "Hey Satori."  
'... You know… Hearing you say that over the phone, just made my heart flutter…'   
"Heh. I'll do that from now on… So what's up? Everything okay?" You ask, moving for the lake. Mika watches after you, fiddling with her hair before going over to talk to Daishou.  
'Nothing new. Just missing you…' He breathes, and for a moment you remember the last time you two had talked. 'I keep wishing I could be there… But.. I should probably stay away for a bit since I almost went overboard last time.' He says sheepishly. You pout slightly at that, blushing a bit as you peer at the water. '... I'm sensing a pout.'  
"I miss you." You grumble.   
'... N-No ___, I can't…'  
"I didn't say anything else… But I haven't seen your face in three days and we'll be here for three days and I just…" You shift. "I want Tendo pictures if I can't see you dammit." You puff your cheeks. He chuckles softly at that.  
'You're so cute…' He sighs. 'I love you more than anything… You know that right?'  
"Yeah… I love you too Tendo." You smile a bit.  
'I'm so lucky for that.' He hums and you can imagine him smiling softly.   
"So send me pictures of your cute smile you got on." You smirk a bit.  
'I will… Are you having fun?'  
"Yeah. We had a chicken fight earlier that kinda got out of hand." You chuckle lightly. "And someone here keeps messing with me. Keep making it sound like there's a little kid running around here." You huff.  
'That's… Really mean and creepy… Are you scared yet?' He snickers.  
"Nope. I'm not going to be tricked." You declare. You brush some of your back with your right hand before pausing and looking at it quietly, your mind starting to buzz a bit. "I got scarier things to worry about anyway.."  
'... The void is calling you again isn't it?'  
"... Don't worry, I'm fine." You put your right hand behind your back as if to hide it. "I-Im not alone. So I'll be fine," You assure.  
'Call if you need me. Okay? I got to go now, some friends are bringing me food.' He says softly. 'I love you.'  
"I will. Love you too." You murmur. "Send me pictures."  
'You too.' He chuckles. You hang up and smile a bit, kissing the top of your phone before putting it away.  
"Hey…" You look back as Daishou walks up, rubbing the back of his neck, other hand in his pocket. "You okay?" He avoids your gaze and you awkwardly look back at the water.  
"Yeah… I worried Mika didn't I?" You guess, rubbing your cheek.  
"Sorta… She's easily worried when it comes to certain people." He breathes, glancing at you. "But you know… if anything is wrong then…" He pauses as you look over at him, meeting his gaze. He reaches over, pulling your head to his chest and hugging you tightly. "I got you."  
"Thanks boss." You relax, hugging him back. After a bit you both start to tense and break apart with a light blush. You both meet each other's gaze briefly before turning away from each other.   
"See ya." You both manage before you go back up towards the camp. Daishou glances after you and frowns lightly before a child's giggle makes him stiffen and look around.   
"_-___ wait up…" He calls making you stop. You look back as he swiftly joins your side. "Did you hear something just now?" He asks casually.  
"... No. Let me guess. You heard a kid or something?" You raise an eyebrow. He blinks and nods with a small frown. "I'm pretty sure the others are messing with us." You step closer and lower your voice. "I mean with Akaashi's quirk and Kenma being able to see everyone it would be easy to mess with the ones that wander off alone."  
"You're right. Those bastards." He huffs before smiling devilishly. "Well then. We should just return the favor," He rumbles, forked tongue curling out the side of his mouth. You pause blushing lightly as you narrow your eyes at him. ".... What?" He blinks before pausing and blushing himself. "Sorry that was…" He covers his mouth looking to the side.  
'Im boss can be so hot sometimes.' You think putting a hand over your face while the other pats his head. "I like that." You murmur as he blinks. You drop your hand to give him a smirk. "Let's make them all gather in one tent in fear." You snicker, making him grin.   
"That'll make it all the better revenge." He rumbles, snake tail swishing behind him.  
"I don't like the looks of that." Kuroo mutters looking down at you and Daishou.  
"___ seemed down so I sent him to lift the spirits. But it looks like the wrong ones are being lifted." Mika hums. "Still it's super cute with them looking scary together." She giggles. "Oh…. They would look so cool as villains too."   
"M-Mika-chan don't you think you should be a bit more concerned about this…?" Kuroo sweatdrops.  
"Nope. Whatever they do will be fun." Mika comments smiling.   
"Hey! Let's tell ghost stories!" Nishinoya calls with a laugh.   
"Guess I'll show you a specialty of mine." Daishou breathes as you both look toward the main campfire where everyone is gathered.  
"Oh please do boss." You snicker as you both head up to join everyone. He chuckles, putting an arm around your neck and smirking as you both reach camp.   
"Scary stories sound fun." Daishou comments, letting you go. "Let's all take turns then." He adds, sitting next to Mika. He motions for you to sit on his otherside. Kiyoomi takes the other spot beside you, raising a brow slightly.   
"I'll start then." Nishinoya decides cheerfully. The group seems to become more compact as everyone tells a spooky story. Daishou shifts and smirks a bit, both of you exchange a glance at that. You pause as you feel his tail brush your back briefly before Oikawa squeaks on the other side of Kiyoomi, making everyone look at him as he looks about in alarm.   
"S-Something just touched me!" He gasps, gripping Kiyoomi's arm.  
"Oi. Don't cling to me. Get away." Kiyoomi growls.   
"But I'm scared, Sakusa." He sniffs.   
"Just get paralyzed already and shut up Shittykawa." Iwaizumi huffs, Bokuto holding onto his sleeve with a small frown.   
"Yeah don't try to scare everyone." You hum, making Oikawa look at you with a pout.   
"He's… Not getting paralyzed." Atsumu blinks.  
"I'm immune!" Oikawa chimes.  
"He did hug Sakusa an awful lot when he had amnesia." Osamu comments.   
"This is your fault." Kiyoomi sends you a frown, making you chuckle sheepishly.  
"S-sorry Kiyoomi." You hum.   
"Stop clinging to Sakusa. You look lame." Nishinoya says.  
"Bokuto's clinging to Iwa-chan." Oikawa points.  
"No. I'm not scared." Bokuto huffs.   
"Now now. Let's continue with the story." Daishou smiles. Kuroo shoots him a look, eyes narrowing. "Hm? Why don't you go Kuroo?"   
"Sure." Kuroo gives a polite smile and you lean forward curiously. He pauses shifting slightly and clearing his throat as he looks away casually. Daishou hums and leans his face against yours.  
"Give us a scary one if you can." Daishou hums. Kuroo sends him a glare at that.  
"Oi oi. Why do you gotta be so close to my kohai?" He scoffs in annoyance. "Go get your own."   
"Ah but we've already bonded. ___ is going to be my partner after all." Daishou hugs you giving a grin. You blush and chuckle at that, glares starting to pierce Daishou. He just snickers, the glares fueling his mischievous side.  
"___, don't let him tug you around like that." Iwaizumi huffs.  
"But he's the boss." You smirk. "What's wrong? Is the boss too much for you guys?" You tease. They all pause at that, Daishou chuckling while Mika giggles.   
"... He's a bad influence, get him away from ___." Oikawa tugs Kiyoomi's arm.   
"Get off!" Kiyoomi growls in annoyance. You pause, glancing over them before reaching over and pulling Kiyoomi into your side, eyes narrowing at Oikawa when he blinks at you. He carefully releases Kiyoomi at that, holding his hands up slightly.  
"Okay. I'll stop." He murmurs. You relax, and pause, meeting Kiyoomi's surprised gaze.  
"You uh… Sounded like you were getting fed up…" You smile, letting him go and looking at the fire. Before anyone else can say anything, a mist swirls up around the group from the lake, the fire dying down to a little flicker, making everyone's heart sink.  
"... Guess that's it for story time. Let's get some-" A giggle sounds behind you, cutting you off. Everyone stands up at that, looking toward the sound. Nothing. You swallow slightly, trying to keep a straight face. (Which you've trained well to slow the onslaught of horror Tendo would put you through just to see your scared face.) "Let's get some sleep." You finish calmly.  
"_-_-_-___ can I sleep in your tent? You're so calm…" Oikawa touches your arm.  
"Sure. But ___ will be in my tent." Kiyoomi states, surprising you.   
"Th-That's not fair… Please. I'm scared…" Oikawa gives you a look.   
"Ah… Um…" How could you possibly reject him? He's really freaked out. Kiyoomi steers you away from the group before you can fold.  
"Good luck with that." He tells Oikawa.  
"Is that really good idea Mr. Cautious?" Atsumu huffs.  
"I'm prepared." Kiyoomi answers simply. You blink a few times before smiling a bit.   
"Wait. Prepared for what exactly?" You ask. He just glances at you before opening his tent and getting in. You crawl in curiously, peering at him. He closes the tent, and you sit across from him.   
"Before we get to that… Who the hell did that?" He jabs a thumb toward the tent zipper.  
"Not sure but I'm pretty sure Akaashi has a hand in it." You respond.   
"I do not." Akaashi's voice sounds outside, making you both pause. Kiyoomi unzips the flap and you both peer out to find that some of the others had moved their tents to be closer to your platform.  
"Guys… Some of you are going to tumble down into the lake." You frown just before the twin's tent goes rolling down hill. "Like that…"  
"Dammit Tsumu!" Osamu snaps as they run after it.  
"Don't worry. I got this." Kuroo says, smirking, lifting his arm and lifting the ground up from around the platform and leveling it.   
"Nice one Kuroo." Mika gives him a thumbs up.   
"Probably should've done this first." Kuroo chuckles.   
"You're all being ridiculous." Kiyoomi deadpans.  
"Yeah. Just sleep and you'll be fine." You wave your hand.  
"How can you say that!? This is really creepy!" Oikawa gasps.  
"Ghosts aren't real." You and Kiyoomi state together.  
"Anyway goodnight." You wave again before Kiyoomi zips the tent shut again . You sit back with a small chuckle and Kiyoomi smiles a bit. You lean over toward him, smiling as he pauses and meets your gaze, putting a finger to your lips knowingly.   
"Behave." He whispers against your ear. "I just hated the thought of someone else cuddling you tonight." You blink in shock at that, sitting back a bit as a grin stretches across your face.   
"Oh. I see." You chuckle before hugging him. "Does that mean I get to cuddle you all night?" You whisper hopeful. He nods picking up a pill bottle and opening it, taking a pill before putting one to your lips.  
"Yes." He smiles a warm smile as you take the pill and swallow it.   
"Finally." You both breathe. You pause and chuckle together, foreheads touching. You smile and kiss his lips softly. He hums, fingers combing through your hair before bringing you closer to deepen the kiss.  
'Ew.' A child whispers next to you, making you both freeze and look over to see nothing. You carefully reach over to feel the air, only finding a cold spot.  
"... Time to sleep." You manage, making Kiyoomi hum in agreement.

*+*+*

"Why are the screens all fuzzy now?" Rakurai frowns, trying to wipe off a screen.  
"Dunno, been like that since the mist rolled in. But look they all gathered on one platform now." Tendo chuckles eating popcorn. "It's really starting to look like a horror movie. I really love stuff like this."  
"Yeah. Did ya see how they all suddenly jumped up together? That was funny." Death snickers. "Poor lads are all terrified now."   
"I wonder what's going to happen next. Do you think we'll see a ghost?" Tendo hums.  
"That would be so cool!" Rakurai gasps.  
"I hope they see the ghosts first." Death chuckles.   
"Hm? Where'd that little girl come from?" Tendo points at one of the lake cameras, making the other two freeze and look.  
"... I regret…" Rakurai whispers, getting a chill.  
"Daz such a young lil thing…" Death whispers tearing up.  
"Pull yourselves together guys…" Tendo peeks at their faces in amusement.


	37. I'm A Little Scared

'Ring around the rosey a pocket full of Posey, ashes ashes we all fall down…'  
"Do you like that song?" You ask the little girl playing by herself. You crouch and peer about. This place sure was dark, even for your dreams.  
'It's the only one I know… Besides the one daddy used to sing to mommy.' She tells you straightening up from where she had fallen over. 'I can sing that one if you want.' She looks at you with a small smile.  
"That's okay… Where are they? Your parents?" You ask.  
'I don't know… The hero came and hurt a bunch of people and I couldn't find them when I woke up again.' She tilts her head with a frown. 'Why did he do that? Was he having a bad day? No one comes to play anymore.'   
"I don't know. I really don't know." You tell her quietly.  
'That's okay. No one knows all the answers… Do you want to play now?' She asks hopeful.  
"Sure. What do you want to play?" You ask lightly.   
'Something quiet. He won't like it if we're too loud and the grown-ups will come.' She whispers.  
"How about hide and seek?" You tilt your head, it was always Tendo's favorite and you were fairly good at it. "But stay near camp." You add quickly.  
'Okay.' She beams running off. You can't quietly, looking around at the darkness. You felt uneasy, maybe you shouldn't be here. You frown and go to find her, walking around these tents that weren't here before. She giggles from one near the edge and you go over to peer in. She covers her mouth with a giggle, looking up at you. 'You found me. But I found teddy.' She holds up the bear.   
"Oh. Good job is that yours?" You ask lightly.  
'Mhm!' She blushes lightly, 'A cute boy camping nearby gave it to me…' She nuzzles it. 'I haven't seen him though… I'm alone here…' She frowns softly.   
"... What's your name?" You frown too, reaching to touch her arm but she blinks and stands up with the bear, tent vanishing.  
'I'm Marie… It's nice to meet you ___!' She grins at you before pausing and frowning, looking toward the darkness. 'Uh oh. The grown-ups are here.'

A scream makes you sit up with a jolt, swiftly opening the tent and getting out as one of the tents is ripped off of the platform. You take off your glove and dive after it, bursting it. Oikawa tumbles out but something grabs his leg and pulls him toward the lake.   
"___!" He cries out panicked and you swiftly catch his arm, digging your heels into the ground.   
"Let go of my senpai!" You growl. You slide forward a bit but a pair of arms wrap around you, keeping you from sliding forward anymore, snake tail wrapping around yours and Oikawa's arms.   
"I got you." Daishou hisses out just before Oikawa is dropped. You swiftly pull Oikawa into your chest at that, and he holds onto you shakely.  
"Okay… I don't think the others are messing with us anymore." Daishou breathes.  
"Let's go home now…" Oikawa whispers.   
"Are you guys okay?" Ushijima asks.   
"Yeah. I think I'm ready to leave now." You hum as you Oikawa and Daishou swiftly return to camp.  
"Guys… My electronics are gone." Kenma alerts in distress.  
"My phone…" Oikawa searches himself. "Gone."  
"... I'm goin to guess mine is gone too…" You frown, searching yourself as well. "... Every fuckin time…"  
"I should have enough elements to make a radio." Akaashi says, touching his stomach. "Maybe…"   
"Takeda sensei won't be back with the bus until the decided time. We're stuck here if we can't get a hold of anyone." Iwaizumi says.   
"Bokuto." You look at him.  
"I could fly but… The clouds here are thick suddenly." He says looking up at the sky.  
"Second thought I'm against you flying into the supernatural clouds." You hug him with a frown.   
"Agreed." Akaashi breathes. Some metal pieces leaving the slot in his arm. He starts on the radio while everyone stays close by.  
"Can you see?" You ask Akaashi.  
"No need. I've made a bunch of these." He assures lightly.   
"So cool…" You murmur crouching beside him. He huffs lightly with a smile, glancing at you.  
"It's… Not hard. I could teach you. It'll be handy in our profession." He breathes thoughtfully.  
"Sure. You know a lot of useful things." You smile. He hums quietly in response before pausing and searching the parts he had.  
"Guess it wasn't enough…" He frowns. "Sorry I didn't eat enough copper to finish making this." He informs everyone.  
"That's okay Akaashi. No one expected this." Iwaizumi pats his shoulder.  
"Campgrounds usually have emergency radios in the information center and the nearby watchtower. We could try those places." Futakuchi comments.   
"The information center is that way." Oikawa points shakely.  
"And I saw the watchtower towards the top of the mountain." Kuroo points the other way.  
"We could split up and try both. Anyone else know how to work a radio?" You ask.  
"I do…" Daishou raises his hand.  
"Wait! Let's not split up! That never goes well!" Oikawa hugs you.   
"Oikawa, we're all heroes here. We can handle a little spookiness." You say, patting his arm.  
"You overestimate my tolerance of spookiness." He whispers to you.  
"Hang in there senpai." You pat his back.  
"Let's be real here… Everyone is going to want to be in your group." Kiyoomi points out.  
"... Dammit." You sigh. "Fine. Then let's check the information center first." You nod to Oikawa. He nods, taking your hand and puffing out his chest, taking the lead. Mika hugs your other arm, peering about the darkness warily.  
"Are you okay Kenma?" Kuroo breathes, the blonde holding onto the back of your shirt looking pale.   
"I'm fine…" He answers, keeping his gaze down. The squeal of a rusty swing sounds nearby, making everyone freeze and look toward the playground, a light fog covering it. A familiar little girl swinging on it. You swallow, brushing off Oikawa's fearful grasp.   
"Marie." You call lightly, making her look over and stop. "Come on," You reach a hand toward her. Her eyes widen and she gets up, promptly standing and vanishing. The fog dances about slightly before you feel a cold touch on your hand.  
"___! What are you doing!?" Oikawa squeaks out.  
"She said she was alone here. So she comes too." You respond.  
"... When did you befriend a ghost…?" Bokuto whispers in confusion.  
"More like how and why?" Atsumu frowns uneasily.  
"She was in my dream before Oikawa got snatched. We played hide and seek." You hum moving forward as you feel a small tug on your hand. "We'll play again soon. But right now we're going to the information to find the radio." You whisper to the cold spot beside you.   
"So we're just going to roll with this?" Futakuchi huffs.  
"If ___'s okay with it then I am too." Bokuto breathes.  
"... I'm so freaked out right now. Iwa-chan hold my hand." Oikawa sniffs.  
"Get lost in the fog." Iwaizumi responds.  
"Where is your heart?" Oikawa murmurs.  
"Oika'a focus." Kuroo nudges him.   
"Will you hold my hand? The little ghost took ___'s…" Oikawa breathes.   
"...Sure bud." Kuroo takes his hand so Oikawa would continue leading the way.   
"Kuroo's such a good guy." You and Mika comment. He blushes lightly at that, looking away before stiffening and looking at his free hand. He glances at you and you blink.  
"I guess Marie agrees." You offer a smile.  
"H-Hello Marie…" He greets. Kenma blinks at the shape between you and Kuroo, reaching out quietly and placing his hand on her head, receiving a happy giggle in response. The group shivers slightly at that.  
"Kenma, can you see her?" Kuroo asks lightly.  
"Just her shape." Kenma responds. "I saw a lot of them around camp. But didn't want to scare everyone…"  
"So you're telling us now because…?" Atsumu pales slightly with a small frown.  
"... That's it. I'm not going back there…" Oikawa whispers.  
"Okay. Be left alone then. Shittykawa." Iwaizumi deadpans.  
"Iwa-chan." You toss him a frown. "I know you're cranky after being woken up but you're being too mean."  
"... Sorry…" Iwaizumi sighs, rubbing his eyes.   
"I want to go back to sleep…" Osamu mutters.  
"Same." The others agree.   
"Here it is!" Oikawa chimes as the building comes into view. Akaashi takes the lead now, going into the building with you and a few others. Everyone splits up to search the place, Oikawa and Mika staying closer to you.   
'Daddy.' Marie's voice sounds in the hall, making you pause and look over while the others stiffen.   
"Where?" You go to the hall and jump slightly when a picture moves. You blink and take it off the wall, looking at the picture of Marie and her family. "Awe… That's… Cute Marie…" You breathe, tears coming to your eyes. You crouch down, feeling her leaning over to look at it.  
'Mommy's so pretty. Daddy always called her Angel.' She giggles. You swallow slightly, feeling a pain in your chest.  
"They must've ran this place before it got abandoned…" Kiyoomi breathes looking at the pictures on the wall. The couple reappearing in a few more.  
"What happened though…? I was here not long ago…" Oikawa frowns.  
"She said a hero came and hurt a bunch of people. And when she 'woke up' she was alone…" You wipe your eyes.  
"That's probably why we didn't hear about it. They usually try to cover up stories like that." Akaashi says coming to the hall. "I'm not finding anything, and the office has been trashed." He tells you, leaning over and touching your arm. "Are you okay?" He whispers, knuckle running up your cheek to wipe a stray tear. You nod, sending him a small smile before looking at the picture again.  
"Alright. Then I guess we go to the tower." You breathe, opening the frame. "Can I take this Marie?" You ask lightly.  
'Mhm.' The hum sounds. You put it in your pocket and get up, everyone starting out. 'Wait.' You feel a cold grasp on your hand and turn back, letting the invisible force bring you to the office. Some papers scatter from the corner the floor board wobbling. You go over and pull it up for her, blinking at the purse underneath. 'Mommy's and my purse…' You blink and pick it up.   
"Alright I'll take it too." You breathe. A chill fills the room and you pause.  
'They're coming!' She hisses. Your heart drops and you run back outside just as Ryuu is ripped away from the others.   
"Ryuu!" You lunge after him, grabbing his hand as he's dragged toward the thickening fog.   
"___!” Nishinoya calls out. You try to stop from getting dragged but it's not working. Ushijima's suddenly over you, picking you up to hold you back from getting dragged. But the force even pulls him forward.  
"I got you Ryuu!" You gasp as Ushijima's arms tighten around you. The sound of scissors opening and closing starts to sound nearby as the fog creeps forward more, starting to swallow Ryuu. A tall lanky figure leaves the fog nearby making all of you look over as they close the massive scissors with a loud slicing sound. They suddenly lunge at yours and Ryuu's hands.   
"Let go ___!" Ryuu orders as the scissors open, aiming for your wrist. "Now!" He bites your hand, ripping his hand free as you gasp in pain. Ushijima falls back and you feel something slice the tip of your finger just as the scissors close and the figure disappears, Ryuu getting pulled into the fog.   
"Ryuu!!" You call, sitting up and lunging for the fog but Ushijima swiftly grabs your hoodie making you fall back.   
"Dammit! Ryuu!" Nishinoya calls, wind deity trying to clear the fog.  
"I'm sorry." You gasp, sitting up and looking to the fog in distress, holding your left hand subconsciously.  
"You're bleeding." Ushijima takes your hand looking at your fingertip.  
"Guys. There's more coming." Kenma alerts.   
"What exactly are we supposed to do about that!?" Oikawa asks.  
'Run!' Marie calls, for a moment the little girl is visible, pointing at a mountain trail. There's a moment of hesitation before everyone takes off at that, Ushijima picking you up and going after them swiftly. You scoff, wiping the tip of your finger off, looking back over Ushijima's shoulder at the apparitions amongst the fog as it claws after the group. 

*°*°*°

"What the hell was that…" Rakurai whispers. He had been on the way to the bathroom and stopped to check in on Tendo when everything had happened.   
"I don't think those are normal ghosts…" Tendo breathes standing up. "Maybe I should go. I did say I would kill anyone that would ruin ___'s vacation." He turns to go for the door but Rakurai hastily stops him.   
"Hold on boss. It would look really suspicious for you to show up at this point, right?" Rakurai points out.   
"But…" Tendo frowns worriedly.  
"Boss. What exactly can you do against ghosts?" Rakurai inquires. Tendo's eyes narrow at that and Rakurai shivers slightly, tensing a bit until Tendo sighs.  
"... Dammit… I wouldn't mind this if it wasn't ___ out there…" He growls going and sitting back down. "This damn fog is making it hard to see anything…" He frowns.  
"Maybe it's best if you stop watching?" Rakurai suggests, receiving a look from Tendo. "N-nevermind boss." He manages quickly. Tendo blinks and reaches over, pulling Rakurai closer. The newbie stiffens as Tendo makes him lean over.  
"Psst. Can you get me some ice cream?" Tendo whispers. Rakurai pauses before deadpanning at him. "What? Thought I was gonna kill you for worrying about me?" Tendo chuckles in amusement. "You really are too cute. ___ is gonna adore you." Tendo pokes his nose.   
"Ah… Um… Thank you?" Rakurai tilts his head in confusion. "I-I'll go get your ice cream." He breathes hurrying out. Tendo peers at the door before looking at the screens.  
"___, I really hope you can change that one's future." He sighs quietly.

*+*+*+*

"I think we're safe now." Iwaizumi says looking about, counting everyone after the group had stopped near a clearing.  
"Where did they take Ryuu!?" Nishinoya gasps. "We shouldn't have ran!"  
"How do you plan to fight ghosts Noya?!" Oikawa points out. A panicked argument starts between them only to stop when Iwaizumi steps in and Asahi holding back Nishinoya. The others look about worriedly.   
"You're hurt right?" Akaashi breathes, coming over to patch up your finger.  
"I didn't think it could hurt me... If Ryuu hadn't made me let go…" You frown, touching your wrist.  
"Yeah, that was too close…" Ushijima murmurs holding you a bit tighter. You glance at him and reach up to rub his cheek to assure him you were safe.  
"Marie." Kuroo calls lightly. "What can we do about this?"  
'I don't know…'   
"Marie.. Who's the guy you mentioned before? The one that would be angry if we were loud?" You ask as Ushijima puts you down.   
'The hero.' She whispers.  
"He's still here?" Kiyoomi frowns.  
'Mhm. He's hiding. He's been bad.'  
"Oh. Great. Him, we can fight." Atsumu relaxes as Osamu pops his knuckles.  
"Where is he?" Osamu inquires.  
'I don't know… I'll go look.' A breeze brushes past you and you look back.  
"... Be careful Marie." You call, receiving some soft sympathetic frowns from the others.  
"___…” Kiyoomi murmurs and you meet his gaze before looking away.   
"I know…" You sigh rubbing your face. Akaashi rubs your back at that, looking away with a small frown.  
"Guys…" Kenma murmurs looking around uneasily, making everyone tense.  
"We're surrounded aren't we?" You sigh pulling off your gloves.   
"Pretty much, but there's an opening that leads up to the summit." He answers.   
"Well that's practically herding us to where they want us to go." Futakuchi comments.   
"... Hey Bro. Why don't you bring up the walls? If the fog can't get through that'll mean we're safe right?" Bokuto says, making everyone look at him in surprise.  
"Ah… Right… That's a good idea…" Kuroo breathes before focusing on the area around him, taking off his shoes and stomping his foot, bringing up the walls around the group.  
"If it doesn't work then what?" Kenma asks.  
"I guess we get herded." You frown. "Or we get separated and hope one of us finds the bastard responsible and takes him down."   
"Let's try to stay together until Marie returns with a location." Daishou says, stepping beside you. You both look at each other before nodding and facing the walls. Mika relaxes, smiling a bit looking at both of you.  
"Right." She and the others respond.   
After a few moments, the fog starts to peek over the wall. Kuroo makes the walls higher, frowning a bit. A sudden burst of cold knocks you back into Kuroo.  
"Alright, walls are ineffective…" Oikawa frowns as you get back up.   
"Fine. My turn." You raise your right arm to the wall. "Burst." You breathe, arm coming undone, the wall and fog disperses for a moment. The fog reforms though. "Tch." You frown, reforming your arm quickly and flinching. Something grabs your throat and pulls you into the fog.  
"____!!!" The others cry out. Daishou dives after you, grabbing your ankle in an attempt to stop you, but he freezes as you claw at your neck, the invisible force gripping your throat tighter the more he tried to pull. You meet his gaze as a pained expression comes to his face.  
"Come back in one piece… I'm sorry ___." He breathes, letting you go, fog taking over as the grip on your throat loosens so you can breathe.   
"Y-Yes boss!" You call out.


	38. Help Me

You struggle, trying to free yourself to no avail as you're dragged down the mountain swiftly. The rocks were starting to rip your shirt, scraping your back. Then you hit water, being dragged down deeper, the moon illuminating the water. You look around for an escape and freeze when you catch sight of Ryuu, floating nearby motionless.   
'No… no no no no….' Your mind starts to ramble in a panic, chest aching. Save him. Save him. Destroy the threat. Your right hand buzzes and the lake bursts. You cough for air, suddenly free, gripping your arm as it tries to burst.  
"R...Ryuu…" You gasp for air, crawling over him to check his pulse, starting to give him CPR. "Come on Ryuu, please!" You gasp giving him some air. "Come back." You tear up keeping up CPR. After giving him another breath, Ryuu coughs up water and you swiftly roll him to his head. He catches his breath and sits up coughing, pausing as you give him a tight hug.  
"_-___!” He manages, hugging you back. "Did you just? How'd you find me at the bottom of the…" He trails off looking around. "Lake… Where did the lake go?"  
"I got dragged here too, and when I saw you floating there… I just… Got rid of the lake…" You look about with a frown. "... I did this…"  
"You did this? It's all gone!" Ryuu gasps standing and pausing. "And… Filled with bodies."   
"Shit." You swiftly get up, looking around and feeling sick to your stomach. They weren't bones either. "Let's get-" You move to step over them, glancing down and falling back covering your mouth.   
"___? What…" He stops, following your gaze. He swiftly covers your eyes as tears spill from them and a sob leaves you. He bites his lip, looking away from the little girl, laying over some other bodies. "We need to go now ___…" He whispers. You nod, unable to move so he picks you up and carries you over the bodies, climbing up the bank. "Oh… Found everyone's phones…" He pauses, finding them piled up. You don't respond and he frowns lightly, holding you tighter as he flips over one of the phones with his foot finding the screen shattered. "Damn… Well, we need to find the others anyway." He carries you back to camp and sets you down.   
"___, I need you to come back now." He pats your cheek making you blink back and take a deep breath.  
"Th-They just left them there…" You whisper shakily. "How could they do that Ryuu? Marie's just a baby…" You tear up. "She should've been buried."   
"I know." He places his hands on your shoulders. "We'll fix this. But first we need to get back with the others and survive."   
"Okay…" You sniff, wiping your eyes and nodding.   
"Alright then… I didn't think about it before. But Akaashi did make us some thermal goggles for the ghost hunt…" He pats your shoulder before moving to Nishinoya's tent. He goes in and you stand up, getting yourself to calm down as you peer around the fog.   
Then the sound of scissors start to echo around the camp. "... Shit." You breathe as Ryuu comes back out.  
"___!" He tosses you a pair of goggles before putting on his. "We only have two so don't let those get destroyed." He says, turning his on and stiffening. "Dodge right!" He orders and you swiftly roll to the side, feeling something nick your ear.  
"Stop running with scissors bastard!" You snap putting on the goggles and turning them on. There were a lot of purplish shapes around.   
"Let's run!" Ryuu says. You lift your goggles and take the lead, running for the trail you had taken with the others earlier.  
You grab Ryuu's hand and pull him over before he can run into a tree. You swiftly pause to pull the goggles down halfway, only putting a lense over one eye and looking around. "It looks like everyone got separated after I got dragged off." You say as Ryuu checks behind you before lifting his goggles.  
"Alright. Then let's split up and round everyone up." He nods.  
"Alright, be careful Ryuu and let's meet back up soon." You hold up a fist to him, he nods, hitting his knuckles to yours and pulling down his goggles halfway too. You both split up at that, running for the closest heat signature.  
You keep an eye on the blue shapes moving nearby as you dodge trees. As you get closer to the heat signature you recognize the form and relax a bit before you reach the clearing making him stiffen and look over.   
"Hey. I'm back." You smile a bit before pausing as Kiyoomi suddenly tackle hugs you. "Whoa… You've never done that before." You whisper. He pauses and straightens up to give you a frown.   
"I… You…" He stammers slightly before just kissing you in relief. You pause and kiss him back with a soft hum.  
"I'm glad you're okay too. Now come on, let's get the others." You breathe pulling away before swiftly checking around in time to dodge a blue shape. "Close! This way!" You grab his hand swiftly taking off for the next heat signature. They were down in a ravine nearby.   
"I hope they didn't fall…" You murmur before sliding down the slope before hurrying for the heat signature. A shape comes into view and you pause as you reach them. A pair of intimidating glowing snake eyes lock on you. "Boss." You breathe carefully, making his eyes widen slightly. "Im back."  
"___…” He murmurs, starting to relax, some of scales that currently covered him start to disappear as you approach. "They took Mika. I can't find her." He hisses through grit teeth. "If that bastard has done something I'll…" The scales come back, seeming to darken. You shiver and grip his shoulders at that, forehead smacking into his, making him pause.  
"Pull yourself together. We'll get her back. Panicking and worrying is just going to get in the way of what we need to do to get her back." You tell him, eyes burning into his. He blink, eyes returning to normal as he slowly starts to stand, forehead not leaving yours as the scales disappear.  
"Alright. Let's go." He breathes with a small nod. You nod and carefully pull away before peering about carefully with the goggles fully on.   
"Looks like there's some over that way." You point.   
"Alright. But your shirt's all torn up. Take mine." Daishou says, making you pause and look back as he takes his off.   
"Ah… Thanks." You manage looking away as you take it. He hums and takes the goggles off your head to put them on and look around.  
"Oh these are really nice. Where did you find them?" He asks as you take off your shirt and replace it with his.   
"We had Akaashi make them for ghost hunting when we first got here. Guess now their use is keeping them from being hunted by the ghosts." You tilt your head. "Ryuu remembered them when we got back to camp."  
"You found Ryuu?" Kiyoomi huffs in surprise.  
"Yeah. When I got dragged off they took me to the lake and… Ryuu was… Kinda floating there…" You admit.  
"...What?" Daishou lifts the goggles to fix you with an alarmed gaze. "They took you there to drown you?" He frowns worriedly.  
"Yeah but… There's not a lake for them to drown anyone else now so…" You take the goggles back and look down toward the lake. "Yeah. No one's down there so let's keep moving." You focus on the next heat signature, lifting one of the lenses to move on.  
"Now there is no lake?" Daishou and Kiyoomi look at each other as they follow you.  
"Wait… ___, did you…?" Kiyoomi blinks in shock.  
"I thought Ryuu was dead. And I just… Guess I did…" You touch your fingertips together. "But we… Weren't the first ones down there…"   
"___…” Kiyoomi touches your shoulder. You suddenly turn to them, tears returning to your eyes.  
"We find that bastard and we finish this tonight." You sniff. "Promise." They pause at that before both nodding.  
"Of course." Daishou puts a hand on your head. You nod before swiftly continuing on. This heat signature was bigger so it had to be Ushijima. Looked like there was a ghost sneaking up on him though. You speed up, trying not to leave the other two behind. You reach where Ushijima is and launch at him as the shape makes a move. You knock him down, his cheek getting nicked on the way down. You swiftly twist holding your right hand up to it and releasing a burst blast, making it disappear and retreat back into the fog.  
"That's right. Get the hell away from Wakatoshi!" You snap sitting up. There's a pause before Ushijima hugs you tightly, making your back pop. "Easy! Easy! I am fragile!" You gasp, patting his arm.   
"I'm glad you're safe." He breathes and you pause. You smile and peer at his face, reaching up and wiping the blood off his cheek.   
"Of course. I can't beat you if I die so easily." You hum before getting up. "Sorry if I came in too hot. I figured you wouldn't lose balance easily." You offer him a hand.  
"It's fine. You did surprise me though." He takes your hand and gets up.   
"Heh… Alright, next one." You breathe looking about and spotting another further down the mountain. "Someone's getting dragged." You alert, taking off. They quickly follow after you, keeping up. You spot Kuroo as he struggles against the invisible force, suddenly surrounding himself with walls. But the shape seemed to get in there with him, attacking him.   
'These things are really starting to piss me off.' You think diving at the wall, right arm going through, hand grasping for the blue shape and clutching at nothing but still making it disappear. 'I want to destroy all of them…' You pause as you're suddenly pulled into the little dome. Kuroo cups your cheek blinking at you before smiling warmly.  
"About time you got back." He teases softly, seeming relieved. You blush lightly, blinking up at him.   
"You got cuts all over you." You frown heavily, cupping his face. He freezes and pulls away blushing heavily as the walls lower so he can escape.  
"Ah… I-Its nothing really." He manages before pausing and looking at the other three.  
"Oi oi. What do you think you're doing pulling my partner into a small space like that?" Daishou huffs. "Don't try anything perverted with ___ I'll kick your ass."  
"Huuh? Where's your shirt? If anyone's being a pervert here it's you." Kuroo retorts.  
"I lent my shirt to ___. I'm just being a good and caring boss." Daishou says slyly. You just put on your goggles and search around for the next heat signature.  
"You were sounding possessive to me." Kiyoomi comments.  
"I don't know what you mean." Daishou glances at him.   
"I don't see any more… Looks like Ryuu is up the mountain with some others but… There were more of us…" You frown heavily.  
'___!' Marie's voice sounds beside you and you jump as an icy touch grasps your hand. 'You gotta hurry! He's taking your friends into the mountain! They're gonna get hurt!' She says hurriedly as you look at the cold spot.  
"Take us there." You and Daishou say together. She hurries off and you swiftly follow her with the others close behind. Ryuu and his group meet up with yours as Marie leads you.  
"Marie found the villain and the others in the mountain. We're going now." You tell Ryuu, lifting your goggles slightly.  
"Alright. Sounds like we'll be running into darkness." He comments.  
"There should be a night vision on those goggles too." Akaashi reaches over, clicking a little switch.  
"Akaashi, you're seriously the best. These goggles have been saving our asses since we got separated." You huff.   
"I'm glad to hear that." Akaashi breathes.  
"I owe you. So name your price when this is over." You tell him.  
"... Alright."   
'Over here!' Marie calls and you look to the mouth of the cave.   
"Marie. You're a little hero." You gasp pulling on the goggles as she giggles.   
'I'm a little hero…' She whispers, taking your hand as you lead everyone into the mountain. The tunnels were cold, felt like you were in a fridge.   
"You okay boss?" You ask, reaching back and touching his arm before huddling up to him.  
"Yeah. I'll be fine…" He answers lightly but his breathing was too shallow. "Let's get Mika back." He grips you slightly.   
"Right." You nod moving forward quickly. The tunnel opens up to a dimly lit cave with a few torches here and there. You lift the goggles as the frail, half dead looking man straightens in surprise.  
"The damn child brought them here!?" He whispers. He pauses before laughing to himself. "Ah well, you can't save them in time." He holds up his arms toward the ceiling where the others were hanging.  
"Mika!" Daishou shouts.  
"Bokuto!" Kuroo calls. It felt like something ripped when you looked up. Like something really bad was about to take over your senses.   
"Get ready to catch them." You order, trying to focus as you lock on the villain, moving forward.   
"You can't stop me. You're going to join them and be my puppets forever! After I kill all of you of course." He laughs, an army of ghosts appearing before him.  
"I'll stop you. For them too." You breathe, right arm raising. The grip on your hand seems to warm and you look over at Marie as she smiles up at you.  
'Thank you for playing with me ___.’ She says before moving in front of you. She opens her arms to the ghosts as they rush forward. 'I'm a little hero. So I'm going to save you now everyone!' She beams, a bright glow radiating off of her before she leaps at the group. A flash of light blinds everyone then and you feel tears rush to your eyes.  
"Marie!" You call out finding them gone when the flash fades away.   
"That little brat… I hate kids…" He growls before laughing. "I really do hate kids. Ah well, I got more puppets nearby." He snickers and more appear. Your chest hurt, tears were leaving your eyes as you glare at the man. A buzzing feeling takes over your right arm.   
'I'm going to kill you.' You think, swinging your arm out. He stiffens and the ghosts move to shield him, the ones hanging from the ceiling suddenly fall as the darkness is lifted with the particles of the mountain.   
"Y-Y-You… Monster! Bahahaha! You made the mountain disappear!" The man cackles in amazement. "Oh… Looks like you're disappearing with it." He pauses chuckling as one of your legs turn to particles and you fall over.  
'No. I'm not done yet. He's still alive.' You shakily move your left hand to repair but a pair of scissors stab your hand pinning it. "Shit…" You grit your teeth.  
"___!" Everyone cries out as your head starts to unravel. For a moment time stills before reversing, putting you back to right before your leg unravels. You instinctively touch your leg and side, pulling yourself back together.  
'Midnight…' You blink before nodding as the man staggers back in shock.  
"You! How did you do tha-"  
"For the lives you have taken and for the ones you've attempted to steal. I sentence you to the infinite." You move forward calmly.   
"N-No! Stay away! Kill them!" He shrieks to the ghosts and you rush forward, flipping over the ghosts and pulling back your right hand.  
"Don't rest in peace." You breathe as your eyes lock with his, right hand meeting his chest and bursting him and the ground beneath him, sending up a cloud of particles. You land and straighten up, pausing and looking about before looking up.  
"___!" Kiyoomi peers into the hole worriedly.  
"I really dug myself a hole huh?" You joke lightly.  
"You just stay right there, senpai got you." Kuroo says with a thumbs up.  
"So… how much trouble do you think I'm going to get into for wiping out a mountain?" You ask casually as the earth lifts up beneath you.  
"Well I think you'll be fine, it looks like you uncovered a lot of diamonds and gems in the process. So. Maybe we can pay this off." Daishou answers. Mika leans over the side as you reach their level, your noses touching and making you both stiffen. You blush and she grins suddenly hugging you and kissing you, shocking everyone.  
"Thank you for coming to save us." She giggles blushing.  
"B-Boss helped too." You manage.  
"Yeah. I kissed him too." She beams.   
"I want to thank ___ too!" Bokuto gasps. Mika chuckles and releases you so Bokuto can hug and kiss you too.   
"O-Oi." Daishou pulls him away with a frown.   
"I want one too." Oikawa and the twins say together before starting to bicker. You chuckle and smile a bit, looking over as Kiyoomi comes to your side, kissing your cheek before you both look over as the horizon starts to light up with the sunrise.   
Kuroo and a few others go to the tower and signal for help. The police arrive and you all explain everything. Then the ones in suits come.  
"You will not speak of this to anyone." The leader warns.  
"That's fine. But you will give those people a proper burial." You point toward the lake area. "Do not leave them like they didn't matter." You snarl.  
"Watch how you speak to your elders." He breathes.  
"I will once you respect the dead properly." You respond. Daishou and Kiyoomi move to either side.  
"Surely that wouldn't be a problem for the powerful up top right?" Kiyoomi breathes.  
"You want us to keep quiet about your weaknesses, then you better clean up this mess you left." Daishou hisses.   
"What a bunch of brats-"  
"You mean a bunch of good kids. Inspector." A familiar voice rumbles and you look over at Hibarida as he places a hand on your head. "I came as soon as I heard. And I brought the owners of the park." He peers back at the familiar couple. "Why don't you go say hi." He adds before turning to the inspector. You swallow and go to the couple as they blink at you in confusion.  
"... My name is ___. I'm a hero trainee from Raizu. And last night I met Marie…. Well… WE met Marie." You glance back as the others join you, Mika hugging your arm and starting to tear up. "She said this purse was yours and hers. And I took this picture from the information center." You hand them the items and the mother hugs the purse starting to cry. You bite your lip, tears coming to your eyes, but you pull them back as Kiyoomi takes your hand.  
"Your daughter saved us last night. So I want to thank you for raising such a sweet little girl." You tell them before giving a bow, everyone joining you. The parents hug each other crying with smiles.   
"Thank you for setting her free…"   
Soon after that, Takeda arrives with the bus, rushing out to check on everyone before everyone starts to board. You stop, looking back at the camp and lake.   
"Thanks for playing with me Marie."


	39. Broken

"Okay so tomorrow we'll go to the fair. Just the three of us." Mika chimes, your hands in here as she smiles at you. "We're going to have so much fun!"   
"Yeah we are. I can't wait." You chuckle smiling at her. She pauses, blushing lightly as she looks into your eyes before shifting and pecking your cheek. You blush at that, dropping your gaze.  
"Sleep well okay?" She breathes before hurrying off.   
"Ah! Mika!" Daishou huffs after her before shifting and meeting your gaze briefly before hugging you. "See you tomorrow." He says before going after her.  
"So glad to be back home." Atsumu stretches.   
"But our getaway only lasted a day…" Oikawa sighs.  
"What? Did you want to stay there another night?" Iwaizumi huffs.   
"Oh God no…." Oikawa shakes his head swiftly.  
"___," Kiyoomi touches your shoulder since you stood there staring at your right hand. You blink and meet his gaze, dropping your arm.  
"I'm going to visit Tendo." You tell him lightly. "Well, I hope I can at least. Can't message him since everyone's phones got destroyed anyway." You rub your neck. "I don't know if I'll be back tonight though, so don't worry if I don't show up."   
"... I probably will whether I like it or not." He admits pulling down his mask to kiss your temple. "Be safe please."   
"Heh… I will…" You blush with a smile looking down shyly.  
"... Get away from me with that cute shit." He nudges you lightly, mask hiding his smile. You stick your tongue out at him before starting for Kuri.   
'How can I let Tendo know I'm there without going onto campus?' You wonder, putting a knuckle to your chin in thought. You frown, lightly and look ahead, pausing when you see him walking up your way.  
"Hm? Do my eyes deceive me? Or is that my cute ___?” He tilts his head cutely with a smile.   
"Satori!" You chime running up and hugging him. He chuckles and hugs you back tightly, kissing your cheek.  
"What a cute greeting! But what are you doing back?" He pulls back slightly to peer at your face.  
"... I'll tell you over brunch." You smile with a head tilt before pausing and looking into his eyes. "What happened to this one? It looks a little pink…" You touch below it making him pause. "You're straining your eyes again aren't you?" You frown.  
"I can't hide anything from you." He chuckles sheepishly. "But I promise it was for something serious." He adds when you frown more. "I'm fine ___.”  
"Okay… But I want you to take a break from your quirk." You grumble as he cups your cheek.   
"Of course. Whatever you want." He smiles widely, Eskimo kissing you. "I missed you so much. Let's go eat." He adds leading the way after taking your hand.  
You both find a place to eat and you tell him about how your night went after you got off the phone with him. He hums lightly once you finish, reaching over to rub your cheek since you were forcing the tears back.   
"Sounds like a rough night, but it ended well… I'm glad you didn't disappear." He breathes softly.   
"I really thought that was it. And I wasn't even scared… Just angry because that guy was still alive…." You look at your right hand. "Midnight saved me again. And we didn't even know he was there." You drop your arm and lean forward, frowning lightly as you meet his gaze.  
"You're really worried…" He acknowledges frowning as well.  
"Tendo I wanted to kill that guy and destroy everything that kept threatening us…" You whisper, looking down. "I think it's starting to happen…"   
"Don't make that face…" He cups your face looking sad. "___, I promised. I'm not going to let that happen. You just focus on your friends, don't worry about the rest."   
"But Tendo-"  
"I know…" He rubs his thumbs against your cheeks. "But if you're really worried then… Why not quit trying to be a hero?" His question came out like a whisper, making you pause.  
"I… I don't want to…" You look down.   
"I'm not telling you to, it was just a suggestion." He assures. "Come on. You need a nap, let's go to my room." He adds getting up.  
"But… My phone…" You breathe.  
"I'll get it while you sleep." He assures.  
"You're not napping with me?" You pout and he shifts looking away.  
"Well if you're going to pull that look I will…" He murmurs before offering you his hand. "Let's go." He says before leading you out and sneaking you into the dorms at Kuri. "Oh, how's Wakatoshi doing?"  
"He's good, we had to kinda carry him off the bus because he fell asleep and nothing was waking him up. Not surprised though, apparently he caught everyone as they fell from the ceiling." You smile a bit. "He's sweet now that I've gotten to know him."  
"He can be." Tendo smiles watching you thoughtfully. You both enter his room and he locks the door as you take off your hoodie. "Hm? That's not your style." He comments, looking at Daishou's shirt.  
"Oh right, I forgot to give this back… He let me borrow it since the ghosts tore up my shirt when they dragged me away from everyone… I was so cold when we got back I just threw on a hoodie over it." You tell him.  
"Is your back okay?" He comes over, lifting the back of it, fingers trailing the scrapes with a frown, making you shiver slightly. He pauses, glancing at you briefly. "You should shower here, I'll apply some medicine over your back after." He tells you softly, putting the shirt down. "I'll lend you some of my clothes."  
"Yeah. Okay." You nod going to do so. Tendo sighs quietly, smacking his cheeks a few times.  
"Go away dirty thoughts. Behave Satori." He scolds quietly before messaging Death since the other was busy disposing of the screens and computers linked to the cameras at the camp. 'I just need to focus and not let myself get distracted…' His face goes blank briefly, blushing lightly. He smacks his cheek again and groans. "I can't do this…"   
You finish washing up and dry off, trying to look at your back in the mirror, it had been scraped up badly, bruises marking here and there. 'Damn that hurts.' You think before peeking the door open to collect the clothes Tendo had left you. You put them on, keeping your back exposed as you go out. Tendo smiles with a head tilt, patting on the bed in front of him. You chuckle and move to do so.  
"It's a good thing you've built some muscle up, or else this could've been a lot worse." He hums as he rubs the medicine on, making you tense slightly. He blinks at that, leaning forward and peeking at your face. "You okay?"  
"Yeah, it's kinda cold." You smile sheepishly.  
"Sorry, not much I can do about that one." He breathes, applying more steadily. He swallows slightly, fingertips pressing against your skin lightly, steadily reaching for your sides. You stiffen as his breath dances against your neck, making you peer back to meet his half lidded gaze.   
"A-Are you okay Tendo?' You ask carefully, starting to blush. He hums, leaning forward more and kissing you softly.   
"I told you we should probably stay away from each other for a while…" He murmurs, forehead pressing against your temple. "Everytime I get close to you now I find it hard to keep from loving you as much as I want to." He kisses your jaw, hands coming around to your stomach. "It's kinda mean cause I know you'll pull away soon, but I really can't help myself." He kisses your neck now. "I get drunk just kissing your skin." He kisses your shoulder. "Stop me."  
"O-okay." You turn to him, pulling the shirt on the rest of the way. You meet his gaze, opening your mouth to tell him to stop, but the words don't come out. He blinks at you, brows knitting together.   
"I-I mean it ___." He warns leaning forward. You shift and put a finger to his lips.  
"Okay Tendo. Time to stop." You manage before rubbing your cheeks. "Ugh what did you do to me?"  
"What you keep doing to me." He sighs. He relaxes and sits back looking at the ceiling. "___… I don't think we can keep being friends at this point..." He murmurs, making your heart sink.  
"Tendo…"   
"This isn't your fault. It's mine. I can't keep restraining myself like this and I don't want to scare you or anything." He tells you, meeting your hurt gaze and frowning. "I love you more than anything. I don't want to hurt you by pushing myself on you."   
"Isn't there anything else we can do..?" You whisper.   
"Not anything that won't end poorly. We can still talk and you can call me anytime. I'll be there if you need me. But… We can't keep hanging out." He gets up, rubbing his neck, well, more like clawing. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry ___…”   
"Tendo, please…" You get up, touching his back. Before you realized he had moved he had you pinned on the bed.   
"Don't fight me on this ___. Please." He breathes, looking down at you hungrily. "I'm doing this for you." He leans down more as tears come to your eyes. He pauses, looking into them before kissing you deeply, hands tightening around your wrist as his tongue slips past your lips, circling yours slowly, as he presses into you. He pulls back after a moment. "I'm in love with you. I don't want to keep being your friend. I want so much more." He says, letting you go before going out the room. You sit up, covering your mouth and watching the door, tears threatening your eyes.   
"I'm sorry Tendo…" You sniff looking down. After a few moments the door cracks open and Shirabu eases in.   
"Tendo asked me to walk you back to your dorm…" He shifts awkwardly, looking over you briefly. "Um… You okay?"   
"... Yeah." You get up, collecting your clothes in the hoodie. You go out, holding the bundle to your chest. Shirabu rubs his cheek, glancing at you a few times.   
"So… How have you been?" He asks as you go outside.   
"Alright… We camp back from a camping trip this morning." You murmur keeping your eyes down. "... It was short because some guy tried to kill us to make us part of his undead army… So, you know…. Alright." Shirabu blinks at you in slight horror at that.  
"Oh… That's…" He tilts his head and awkwardly pats your back. "Glad that didn't work out for him."  
"Yeah… Me too. I hated him. And I didn't even know him." You breathe not looking up. "Sorry… I don't really feel like myself right now…"  
"I can tell…" He rubs his neck again. You just hum in response and eventually you reach the dorms. "I… Hope you feel better soon."   
"... Take care Shirabu." You send him an attempt at a smile. He frowns at that and you head inside.   
"Hey ___! We were about to…. What's wrong?" Nishinoya stops, blinking at you in concern.   
"I'm just tired. Don't mind me." You assure going upstairs. You go into your room, feeling relieved to find it empty. You put the clothes in the basket before looking at the bed and going to your closet, opening it and pulling your extra blankets and pillows down to the floor of your closet before getting in and curling up on the mass, closing the door from the bottom. Darkness freeing your tears and hiding your sobs.

*+*+*+*

"Hey boss. How did it go?" Rakurai asks as Tendo comes in.   
"I just broke my best friend's heart…" His shoulders slump as he takes off his hoodie and tosses it away. "So…. Not good." He answers, starting to equip his suit. Death and Rakurai share a surprised glance. "It's for the best really… I really got close this last time. Didn't want to stop."   
"Ah… You okay boss..?" Death frowns.  
"Nope. Not at all. I'm going to kill a bunch of people until I feel better. Send me those villain hideouts would you?" Tendo hums.   
"Of course boss. Should I come along?" Death inquires.  
"No. If I end up blacking out, I don't want to hurt you Kobalt… Rakurai I want you to go over the footage one more time, we'll be switching you tomorrow. Kobalt, I want one of the others to lose their memories as well. As long as ___'s busy trying to get memories back, the less worried about me ___ will be." Tendo finishes getting ready and grabs the helmet. "And let me say this now Rakurai. You better protect ___ if there's danger. Or I will kill you."   
"U-Understood." Rakurai pales slightly. Tendo nods with a hum, putting on his helmet and turning on the robot voice.  
"Don't be surprised if I don't come back tonight." He states going out. They stare at the door in alarm.  
"Things are going to start changing now…" Death frowns.  
"... Yeah… I get that…" Rakurai manages. "Think I'll go check on ___ now."  
"Huh? Lad that's a poor idea…" Death huffs.  
"Well, the boss said a break down was coming. This might trigger it. Best to make sure ___ doesn't head off alone in the middle of the night." Rakurai straightens. "Don't worry, I won't get caught." He adds, grabbing the contacts. 

_-_-_-_-_-_

"So… ___ is in their closet." Kenma murmurs to Kiyoomi, making him pause.   
"How long?" Kiyoomi gets up.  
"About an hour now, ___ seemed to be crying at first, and now they're asleep." Kenma informs.  
"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Kiyoomi frowns.  
"Figured the reason they were in the closet was to be alone." He responds frowning as well. "I thought you said ___ went to see Tendo. So why…"  
"I don't know." Kiyoomi responds before going upstairs and into your room, the foxes curled up in front of the closet. He frowns, going over and pulling on his gloves to move them to the bed before going to the closet and opening the door and kneeling down. He touches your arm and your eyes open slowly, looking bloodshot. You meet his concerned gaze and turn away from him.  
"I'm just tired." You whisper. He frowns and crawls in behind you, closing the door again before wrapping his arms around your waist. "... He said he was in love with me and didn't want to be friends anymore." You scratch at the wall. "Said it wasn't my fault. But… How isn't that my fault…?" You tear up. "I did something wrong right? I must have…"   
His arms tighten around you at that. Of course he didn't know what to say. The door opens up and Bokuto peers at your face. "Aww… Babe." He frowns, taking you away from Kiyoomi and sitting on the floor with you on his lap. He strokes your cheek and Kiyoomi sits up, sending Bokuto an annoyed look. "You wanna go for a flight? I'll take you somewhere pretty." He kisses your cheek.  
"Wait. Just let ___ nap with us." Atsumu says from the bed.  
"Let us cuddle ___.” Osamu agrees nodding.  
"___! I brought you ice cream!" Nishinoya declares, coming in with a tub and spoon.  
"I brought movies, mostly comedy. And if you want, two alien document-"  
"No." Iwaizumi smacks Oikawa as they enter.  
"Ow Iwa-chan…" Oikawa pouts before giving you a smile. "Come on, let's all watch together. It'll be okay ___.”   
".... Okay." You nod as everyone soon piles into the room.  
You eventually end up being at the center of your bed surrounded by everyone. All of them are now asleep. You shift, carefully moving out from Bokuto's arms and sneaking out of the room, heading upstairs and to the roof.   
A heavy sigh leaves you and you rub your face, feeling guilty that their attempts to cheer you up had little effect. You cover your face, sinking to your knees and wanting to cry again. A touch on your back makes you pause and look back as Oikawa offers a soft frown.   
"I… Sorry, I hope I didn't wake you." You manage, rubbing your eyes and standing up as he sits back on the ledge.   
"You didn't. You were so silent I don't think anyone noticed, I just got up to use the bathroom and didn't see you... Figured you would be somewhere alone." He rubs his neck. "I brought my jacket up," He adds, putting it around you.   
"Thanks…" You breathe.   
"... You know, a girl once broke up with me because I couldn't give her the attention she wanted. I didn't realize why she broke up with me at first. I did blame myself, but it wasn't something I could've given her at the time." He rubs his neck, "I can now but I'm not interested anymore, and neither is she."   
"... Oikawa, that was probably a month long relationship… Ever since I was seven, Tendo was all I had. I've never gone longer than a week without seeing him… And he just… Left." Your voice becomes a whisper, tears rushing your eyes as they look down. "Maybe I could've done something to avoid this…" You wipe at your eyes. His eyes soften, watching you.   
"___… You can't avoid love." He breathes, before pulling you over to sit back against him, resting his chin on your shoulder, wiping your cheeks. "Look at the stars." He tips your chin to look up. "They shine so beautifully in the darkness…. Do you know which one you are?" He peeks at your face.  
"... Which one?" You murmur.  
"The sun." You pause and deadpan at him. "Now hear me out." He chuckles poking your nose. "I say that because when you're happy, your smile is blinding. And some days you're hot as hell. And when it's cold, I find myself wishing for your warmth…" He breathes smiling at you softly. "And the planets are like everyone at this dorm surrounding you with love and going through space with you." He touches your cheek, thumb grazing over it. "Then Tendo's the asteroid belt throwing love right into you… If he throws something too big it might hurt you too much. So he's hiding amongst the others until you're ready."  
"... Will he come back?" You whisper.  
"There's not a doubt in my mind he will… He's just trying not to avoid doing something you're nowhere near ready for." He breathes. You stare into each other's eyes for a bit before you kiss his cheek and hug his neck.   
"Thank you… I feel better now…" You breathe, nuzzling his neck. He blinks and smiles softly, standing up and hugging you warmly.  
"Then my work here is done." He pulls back to hold your face between his hands. "Your eyes really do reflect the stars so nicely." He breathes, pecking your nose making you feel a slight spark. "I'm going to head back down now, try not to stay out here too long." He adds before heading back inside. You smile at the door, touching your nose before looking toward the sky thoughtfully.   
After a bit, you head back downstairs to the second floor, pausing when you find Kuroo leaning out the open window. "What are you doing?" You ask quietly, making him jump.   
"I uh… Was looking at the fireflies in the yard…" He says looking over and shifting slightly when you join him, watching the fireflies below.   
"Aw… They're so cute… I love fireflies." You smile softly, making him pause in surprise.   
"You're feeling better." He comments.  
"Yeah. Oikawa cheered me up a bit." You nod. He blinks and looks back toward the room with a hum.  
"Well, I'm glad to hear that." He sighs lightly with a smile. You nod, reaching over and letting your fingers comb his hair. Kuroo freezes, watching you carefully as he starts to blush.  
"Your hair is so cute…" You smile.  
"... Yeah?" He asks, scratching his cheek.   
"Mhm. You're cute senpai. Sleep well." You chuckle lightly before going into your room and crawling over the mass and back into Bokuto's arms, steadily falling asleep.


	40. Good Morning

You got up before them, going down to the kitchen and starting on a big breakfast for them. You felt way better now, it's not like you could go to the fair with Mika and Daishou in a sad mood anyway. 'I'm not alone. I'm fine. Tendo is just taking a vacation from me…' You pause and blink, tearing up briefly. 'No. It's fine, we all need space sometimes.' You blink them back and focus on breakfast.  
Halfway through you almost drop the bowl of batter for the pancakes but Kuroo catches it, surprising you. "I wasn't going to bother you but, can I help?" He offers a small cute smile.  
"Of course, thanks." You smile in return.   
"So how did you sleep?" He inquires.  
"Toasty." You respond lightly. "Now that I'm out of the pile it feels a bit cold."  
"I bet. Don't think I could handle all of that warmth." He chuckles. You hum and lean on him, making him pause and blush. "Are you uh… Cold now?" He inquires.  
"Kinda. Now that I'm thinking about it." You lean your head on him as you finish making breakfast. Kuroo swallows, carefully putting an arm around you and looking to the side, blushing more. A knock sounds on the front door and you both pause before you go to open the door.  
"___, sorry I was excited so we came early." Mika smiles sheepishly. "Oh, and this was outside the door, addressed to you." She holds up a box. You blink at the handwriting and swallow.  
"Ah. He still got me a phone…" You swallow and smile a bit. Daishou blinks and leans over, touching below your eyes.  
"Something happen ___?" He frowns lightly.  
"Don't worry about it." You breathe. "I made breakfast, Kuroo can set you guys up while I wake the others." You add before going up the stairs. Daishou looks at Kuroo expectantly and the other sighs, tilting his head before leading them to the dining room.  
You go into your room and peer about, hugging the box. What would be the best way to wake everyone up? You set the box on your night stand and target Atsumu leaning down and starting to cover his cheek with kisses. He stirs and chuckles peering up at you with a smile.  
"I made breakfast, go eat." You whisper poking his side. He chuckles again and goes out. You move to Osamu then, waking him up and sending him downstairs. You peer at Bokuto next, smiling and cupping his face, giving him a deep kiss to wake him up. He huffs and blushes when he does, giving you a kiss back.  
"Good morning my love." He breathes.   
"Good morning. I made breakfast." You breathe, kissing his knuckles. "Go eat."  
"Yesss… ___ food." He cheers quietly, getting out of bed and going out. You peer over the side of the bed and crawl down to Akaashi coming nose to nose with him for a brief moment before pulling back.   
'He's so handsome…' You rub your cheeks, wondering how to wake him up. You move to kiss his cheek but stop, a wave of shyness hitting you. You cover your face, forehead touching his chest at that. His brows knit together before his eyes open and he blinks at you. He blinks a few times, a barely noticeable pink rising to his cheeks, as he touches your temple. You freeze before peeking at his face.   
"... Good morning…" He greets softly.  
"Good morning…" You respond, pulling back slightly but his arms instinctively wrap around you.  
"Feeling better?" He inquires. You shift with a blush before nodding quietly in response. He blinks at you before releasing you and hiding a smile behind his hand. "Good."  
"Um… I made breakfast…" You scratch your cheek, looking to the side as you sit up.  
"I'll head down then. Thank you." He tips your chin before going out. You sigh quietly before going to Ushijima, resting your arms on his chest and playing with his soft hair. After a moment he stirs, eyes opening and finding yours in a moment.   
"Good morning. I made breakfast." You smile as he blinks at you. A small blush rises to his cheeks and he sits up, holding you to his chest.  
"Good morning. I'll be sure to enjoy it." He says lightly. You smile and comb some of his hair back, making him smile a bit. "Feels nice." He breathes.  
"You're so cute." You chuckle quietly. He meets your gaze and cuddles you briefly before heading out. You smile and move to Futakuchi, peering at his face, upside down from where you were positioned. 'What a cute sleeping face..' You think, fingertips grazing his cheeks. His brow twitches and he shifts with a small chuckle, opening his eyes and pausing blinking up at you in surprise.  
"What are you doing?" He raises an eyebrow, smiling slightly.   
"Petting your cute face." You hum, tickling his neck and making him chuckle, grabbing your hands.  
"Hey now, I don't have a mirror on my face." He smirks.  
"Oh that's smooth." You chuckle with a blush looking away. "I made breakfast, so go eat."  
"Oooh that sounds good." He sits up, tugging your hands forward and making you hug him from behind. "Awe, thanks for the hug." He chuckles.  
"Sneaky." You huff as he lets go of your hands and stretches, leaning back against you.   
"You're one to talk, coming over to wake me up so sweetly." He retorts teasingly.  
"Go eat." You nudge him. He huffs sticking his tongue out at you before heading out. You smile and shake your head going over to wake Aone in the same fashion. But you startle him and your hands get frosted. Oops. He apologizes before heading out swiftly. You rub your hands together and peer about, eyes landing on Iwaizumi. He's going to kill you for it, but the reaction would be priceless. You crawl over, hugging him and moving your cold hands under his shirt and onto his back, waking him with a jolt.  
He almost curses out loud but swiftly covers his mouth. He blinks at you as you smile at him. "You're so warm." You hum. He blushes at that, shivering.  
"Why are your hands so cold?" He hisses.   
"I startled Aone and he almost froze them." You take them out of his shirt before touching his neck. He shivers and swiftly grabs them, holding them to his chest.   
"Be more careful…" He whispers. You blink at his tone and smile, chin resting on his hands as you look into his eyes.  
"Your eyes are beautiful." You breathe and he freezes turning red. "If you wanna run I made breakfast." You hum.   
"Th-thanks for the food." He manages swiftly escaping.  
"Wow. You really made him red." Nishinoya rests his chin on your shoulder as you sit up. You blink and look over at him before kissing his cheek and making him blush.   
"You're red now too." You chuckle. He huffs and kisses your cheek in return making you blush now. You both glare at each other playfully before chuckling together.  
"I'll go eat." He breathes before heading out. You smile and crawl over to Kenma playing with his hair and braiding a few spots. He opens his eyes blinking up at you.  
"... Are you braiding my hair?" He huffs.  
"Mhm." You hum in response.  
"... Why do you and Kuroo feel the need to do that?" He grumbles.   
"Your hair's soft and long.. I couldn't help it once I started playing with it." You smile. "It's cute that Kuroo does it too."   
"No it's not…" He moves your hands away before smiling slightly. "I'm glad you feel better."  
"Yeah. Me too. I made breakfast. Go eat." You tell him.  
"Alright." He hums heading out. That only left Oikawa in your room. You crawl over and pause, you could tell he was pretending to be asleep now, he must've woke up and saw how you were waking up the others.  
"Awe… Dorm president is so cute when he sleeps." You whisper with a chuckle, for a moment thinking about last night as your knuckles brush his cheek. You smile thoughtfully and lean down, capturing his lips. He hadn't expected it, letting out a surprised hum as he kissed you back. "Good morning." You breathe pulling back. He blinks up at you in a slight daze.  
"Good morning… Great morning actually…" He covers his mouth with a slight blush. You chuckle and kiss his forehead.  
"You're too cute. Now get up and go eat. You pretend sleeper." You tease.  
"I didn't want you to skip me just because I woke up." He defends with a pout. You chuckle and peck his lips.  
"I wouldn't have." You assure, as he blinks in surprise.  
"Alright." He smiles before heading out. You get up and head for Kiyoomi's room, peering in to find him still asleep. You smile and crawl in, moving close to him and sniffing at him briefly to make sure the toxins he was releasing wasn't harmful to you. It was only the paralysis toxin. You kiss his shoulder and neck softly, making him shift with a hum.   
"Kiyoomi. Wake up." You whisper kissing his jaw and receiving a shiver in response before he turns to you sleepily, pausing as you kiss him deeply. He hums lowly, pulling you down into him as he kisses you back. After a few moments you pull away with a smile. "Good morning."   
"Good morning." He smiles softly. "That was a nice way to wake up."  
"Mmm… You still look half asleep to me. Let me try again." You chuckle, kissing him again. He rumbles and sits up now, fingers trailing through your hair.   
"I'm up. I'm up. Stop doing dangerous things." He chuckles quietly breaking the kiss. "And wash up a bit before going downstairs."   
"Yeah you're pretty sweaty right now." You smile, meeting his gaze. "I made breakfast, go eat after you wash up." You breathe giving him a quick kiss.  
"Alright." He hums. You move back to your room to clean off the toxins before going to head out of the room, pausing as you look down at the box, going over and opening it. Pulling out the phone, a cute bracelet and a note.  
'I said I would get you a phone yesterday so here it is, already set up for you. And this one comes with a tracker in case you lose the phone. The tracker also has an s.o.s feature. Make sure you read the instructions. Be safe and-: There's a scribble mark over the rest, but you already knew what the rest said.  
"... I love you too Tendo." You breathe, feeling the tears coming back as you fold the paper and place a kiss to it before moving the phone to your pocket and putting on the bracelet. You calm yourself before returning downstairs to join the others eating breakfast.  
"So you guys haven't seen the news yet?" Daishou guesses.  
"No, something happened?" Iwaizumi blinks at him.  
"Apparently the villain Midnight you guys mentioned went on a rampage last night. He took out three known villain groups solo. Killed like a hundred people." Daishou informs. "The media is trying to call him a vigilante, but I saw one of the videos before they got taken down, and that guy was clearly just looking for blood to spill."  
"Whatever the reason. That's still a show of power, and who the top villain is right now." Kuroo comments with a frown.  
"I know we should hate that guy but… I can't." Bokuto frowns and looks at you. "___ wouldn't be here if not for Midnight."   
"Yeah. But why me? He probably just wants my quirk." You shrug.  
"Well, he's not with Claw or else you would've been the one that got snatched up." Nishinoya points out.   
"True.. And they've had plenty of chances to do that…" You tilt your head.  
"Maybe it's just them trying to convince you to join them. I mean the worst they've done since Inari was steal some memories and try to bring Sakusa to their side." Atsumu says frowning lightly.  
"Whatever happened to Bloody Horizon anyway? Did ___ scare them off? Or did Midnight kill them?" Ryuu huffs.  
"Well, I don't think we should put it past them. I mean they found Dante's skull in an alleyway and confirmed that Death was involved." Kiyoomi says.  
"That's right and one of his eyes was gouged when we last saw him. He did say Midnight was going to kill him." Oikawa recalls.  
"Yeah but… I can't see him killing that strong guy they had." Atsumu comments.  
"Who needs strength if you can just stop and reverse time?" Kiyoomi points out.   
"That guy's seriously strong and scary… So how are any of us alive right now?" Nishinoya murmurs.  
"Because he doesn't want to piss off ___.” Akaashi states. "That's the only reason I can think of. And after what happened at the mountain, I'm sure he's even more mindful of ___.” You look at your right hand for a few moments. So in the end it was because of you. You weren't sure how to feel about that.  
"___, I'm sure Midnight would still be a threat if you weren't here." Kiyoomi says making you look at him. "No other schools have been attacked since Inari. Last year before we even came here, they lost five schools, remember? I think that you're the reason the attacks have stopped. Feel some pride in that. A powerful villain is being careful not to receive your wrath." His eyes burn into yours and you pause before giving a nod.  
'But you don't know about my last encounter with him.' You think, dropping your gaze and finishing your plate. Kiyoomi's brows knit together at that.  
"Um… ___ we don't have to go if you're not feeling up to it." Mika murmurs.  
"What? No, I am totally ready to go to the fair with you two." You tell her, getting up. "Oh! I have some cute hoodies for us to wear." You gasp before going to clean your plate and leading her upstairs to your room and closet. You open it to show her before pausing. "Dammit Atsumu.." You go and open his closet. "So go ahead and pick." You gesture between both closets. She hums picking out the fox one before pausing and looking at the snake one.  
"Oh this one reminds me of Daishou." She breathes.  
"Yeah that's why I got it to be honest." You chuckle sheepishly. She blinks before a small mischievous smile comes to her lips.  
"You should wear this one then. I'll look cute." She tells you, passing it to you.  
"Oh, okay." You pull it on and smile. "Ready to go?"   
"Yep." She takes your hand and you both head down to the lobby. Daishou blinks and chuckles, smiling at you two. "Look Daishou, ___ said this hoodie reminded them of you so they got it." Mika giggles making you both blush.   
"M-Mika…" You manage in embarrassment.  
"Don't be embarrassed he did the same thing with that shirt he has on, it reminded him of your quirk so he got it." She assures making Daishou pull up the front of his shirt to hide his face as both of you grow redder.   
"Mika!" He gasps.   
"Okay okay, I'll stop teasing you." She laughs, taking his hand as well and leading you both out. Some of the others poke their heads into the lobby, lightly glaring at the door.  
"Mika's going to be the death of them." Nishinoya comments.  
"That was ridiculously cute." Osamu frowns.  
"Right?" Oikawa pouts.  
"So, who wants to go to the fair..?" Kuroo hums.  
"... Me…"

*+*+*+*

"Canister is empty." Tendo says, setting down K.K and looking at it for a bit.   
"That's alright, this one is nearly healed." Death breathes, cleaning the gash on his back.  
"Kobalt said you went to the dorm last night…." Tendo looks over at Rakurai, making him tense slightly.   
"Yes sir." Rakurai drops his gaze warily.  
"How is ___…?” Tendo asks lightly.  
"Looking better, but you can tell they're still hurting." Rakurai answers, smiling lightly. "I did get a smile from ___ at least."   
"Good. Shirabu really let me have it yesterday when he called after walking ___ back. So I was a bit worried." Tendo smiles a tiny bit. He sighs and closes his eyes. "Damn.. I want to see ___…”   
"Aren't we about to head over there?" Death inquires.  
"Yeah but ___ is with Mika and Daishou at the fair." Tendo responds. "That's why I planned for today…. It's only been a day but… I yearn for ___ so badly…"   
"Hang in there boss… Oh lookie there. Yer all healed." Death smiles and straightens up.   
"Damn I'm tired now." Tendo grumbles.  
"You can nap. I want to see ___ at the fair." Rakurai says without thinking, making Death tense and Tendo blink at him. "I-I m-mean…" He pales.   
"Heh. Awe Rakurai, you got a crush." Tendo smiles. "Go ahead. We'll call you when we're moving to strike. Make sure ___ is smiling when you leave."   
"Y-You're okay with that?" Rakurai blinks in surprise.  
"Of course. If you get attached to ___, you'll definitely move to protect if there's any danger. And don't worry. I totally understand… Get some pictures too." Tendo hums.


	41. Mischief

"It's way bigger than I thought…" You breathe, moving closer to Mika, gripping her shirt.  
"Hm? Never been?" Daishou peers at you.  
"Not to this one. A much smaller one that got closed down after a villain fight." You respond.  
"If you're nervous you can hold Daishou's hand." Mika says cutely and you both pause. "Right Daishou?" She hums, throwing him under the metaphorical bus.   
"O-of course…" He manages looking the other way.  
"I-Im fine, I'm not nervous by the giant crowd of people or anything." You assure looking another way. Mika peering between you two and covering her mouth with a giggle.   
"Okay, let's see… Let's play the games before going on some rides. I want something cute to cuddle." She hums.  
"Daishou's/___'s right here." You and Daishou say at the same time pointing at each other. Mika stops to give you both a look as you both pause and blush.   
"Wow. You two are really on the same step today." She giggles, hugging you both. "So cute." She gushes, cuddling your cheek and then Daishou's. "Come on now!" She laughs moving on ahead.  
"... Suddenly I feel a slight fear of that look in her eyes." You breathe.  
"Right? But it's cute and it's not like we can run." He says as you both follow after her.   
"Exactly. That's why it's kinda scary. There's no escape." You breathe. You both look at each other now. "Oh. You're right though I don't really want to escape." He chuckles at that and pats your back.  
"Glad we're on the same page." He rumbles. Mika first chooses a tossing game, pulling you to her side to whisper in your ear.  
"Look at the snake prize." She whispers nodding to the large coiled stuffed snakes sitting on the shelves. You gasp lightly, making Daishou peer at you two.  
"They're so cool!" You whisper back. He blinks peering at the prizes and spotting the snakes, smiling to himself before going to speak with the vendor, paying for two throws. Mika blinks at him and giggles.  
"Are you going to play Daishou?" She hums.   
"Sure. You both seem interested in a prize here so I'll get it." He hums, tossing up a ball as he looks at the pins. You blink in surprise as Mika giggles.  
"So cool boss…" You comment lightly. He just chuckles at that.   
"Get it Daishou!" Mika cheers. He tosses up the ball one more time before throwing it with an alarming force and speed, knocking off the pins in one blow. The vendor shifts at that, glancing at the pins before giving a smile.  
"My, you really caught me off guard with that one. What prize can I get you?" He hums. Daishou points at one of the snakes. The vendor hands it to him and he places it on Mika's head, letting it slink down to wrap around her arms and chest. She giggles and he goes back to the vendor, picking up the other ball as the vendor picks up the pins. He pauses, watching the vendor for a moment before tossing up the ball and humming lightly.  
"All ready?" He smiles at the vendor slightly and you catch the glint of scales under his jacket sleeve. The vendor nods, seeming a bit smug now. Daishou hums lowly and you feel a chill travel down your spine before his pupils slit and he throws the ball, hitting the center pin and denting it with a loud 'ping' that makes a few people stop and look over as the table jerks back. The vendor pales slightly, lips pressing together as Daishou straightens.  
"Oh… That's odd.. Feels like you used a quirk there…" Daishou hums.   
"... Please pick your prize sir!" The vendor chimes as the pins lay down suddenly. You gap, gripping Mika's hand as she grabs yours. Daishou points to another snake, receiving it before putting it over you. You touch the plush snake and grin, nuzzling it happily. Daishou smiles softly at that, making Mika smirk a bit.  
"That was so cool boss! I didn't know you were so strong!" You gasp.   
"Of course. Snakes are all muscle after all." He forked tongue flicks out teasingly and you chuckle, hiding your blush behind the snake. Mika giggles kissing his cheek.   
"Thanks for getting us these." She beams before nudging you. "You thank him too!"   
"Thanks boss." You hug him, making him chuckle lightly.   
"Oh! You two should do the hero shooting range! You can only play if you have a license." Mika bounces, "And the prizes there are really cool!"  
"Oh that's right, they use real rifles for it too." Daishou nods, seeming a bit interested in it.   
"I… Don't know how to use one." You admit, pointing to yourself.  
"That's okay, Daishou can show you!" Mika says with a mischievous smile. You both blink at her.  
"Ah… Sure, I'll walk you through it. There's no time limit anyway." Daishou rubs his neck. "But you should really learn. I know your quirk can be long ranged but there's a risk to it." He frowns lightly, eyes unfocused for a moment.   
"You were just thinking about the mountain weren't you?" You guess, making him pause and meet your gaze.  
"Yeah. But even at the island it took a lot out of you. You need to be careful ___. I don't want to see what happens when it's too much." He says softly. You blink at the amount of concern on his face.  
"Okay. I'll talk to Akaashi about it then." You nod.   
"Alright good. You should add a rifle to your regular gear then." He smiles. You smile and nod before you both pause and look at Mika as she sniffs.  
"That was so sweet…" She whispers.  
"Suddenly I feel like we're in a movie and she's our audience." You comment to Daishou.  
"Yeah it sure does." He agrees.  
"I can hear you guys." She giggles.   
"Left cheek." You hum.  
"Right cheek." Daishou breathes before you both kiss her on a cheek, making her blush heavily.  
"Now let's go win her a prize." You say turning for the gun range.  
"Agreed." Daishou chuckles as you both start for it. Mika puffs her cheeks following after you both.  
"Don't kiss me, kiss each other." She grumbles huffy. You and Daishou blush lightly and pretend you didn't hear that. You get to the range, both showing your license before you're handed a rifle. You blink at yours feeling a bit overwhelmed suddenly.  
"It's heavy… Akaashi carries one of these and a few others around whenever he's suited up." You breathe in amazement.  
"Yeah, but once you get used to them it's like they're not even there." Daishou breathes, setting his to the side to adjust your hold on yours. He walks you through it with a light and patient tone.   
"Oh. Okay, I think I get it." You murmur, taking aim.  
"Careful, not like that," He moves behind you to adjust your aim and you instinctively freeze up. He pauses sensing your body tense. "Are you okay?" He peers at your face as a blush spreads across it. His eyes widen slightly and he hesitates. "Focus ___…” He manages with a small blush.   
"I'm really trying…" You whisper. He pauses and starts to chuckle softly.  
"Seriously ___, stop being cute and take aim." He breathes.   
"I am. I think I got it now…" You scoff. He chuckles and releases you and you fire, hitting a target and almost falling over but he catches you with a small laugh, hiding his face in your arm. You blush heavily looking away in embarrassment, pausing as a bell goes off.  
"Great shot, that was a bullseye!" The vendor chimes with a giggle. You and Daishou blink at her in surprise before looking at the target.  
"Talk about beginner's luck." Daishou huffs.   
"Right? I don't think I could do that again even if I wanted to." You huff.  
"Of course you could. Just a little more practice." He chuckles, raising an eyebrow at you. You blink at him and blush lightly before swiftly looking away.  
"So what would Mika like?" You manage. Your eyes lock on a pink panda as he looks at it.   
"That." You both say pointing at it. The vendor pauses and giggles, going to grab it and bring it over.   
"Alright my turn." Daishou breathes, "Pick a prize." He peers at you thoughtfully. You pause and blush lightly, peering about.   
"... That cat reminds me of Kuroo." You point. He blinks and chuckles at that, picking up his rifle and taking aim.  
"Got it." He rumbles. You pause, watching him for a moment before going over to Mika, handing her the large panda and making her giggle with delight.  
"Aww! Thank you! Good shot ___!" She chimes pecking your lips and making you cover your face. "You two looked so cute even that vendor lady was gushing." She giggles making you blush more.  
"Mika…" You grumble.  
"Ahem…" A familiar voice makes you both look over, pausing when you see Akaashi with his head tilted. "I may have been seeing things, but was Daishou just showing you how to work a rifle?" He inquires and you pause. "___… Next time I would prefer if you came to me for firearm lessons." He points to himself with a light frown, leaning forward.   
"Ah. Yes of course Akaashi. If I had known you were here I would've asked… Why are you here?" You throw it back at him and he pauses, pink dusting his cheeks.  
"I'm… Not the only one here." He says looking to the side.  
"Let me guess. Kuroo said 'who wants to go to the fair?' As soon as we left, right?" Daishou steps beside you, passing you the stuffed cat. You blink and smile, taking it happily.  
"Yes…" Akaashi nods.   
"I knew he wouldn't stand by and let us keep ___ to ourselves." Daishou huffs.  
"Well too bad! ___'s is ours today!" Mika hugs you with a huff, puffing her cheeks at Akaashi. "So tough luck, greedy Dorm One!" Akaashi blinks at her in shock while Daishou snickers, peering at you since your face was lost in Mika's panda.  
"I… will inform the others… Please continue to enjoy yourselves." Akaashi holds up a hand to her as he moves away.   
"Mika. Your panda is smothering ___.” Daishou chuckles. Mika blinks and swiftly releases you and you take in a breath, blinking.   
"Oh wow I forgot what not pink colors looked like. I was in there so long!" You gasp dramatically, making Daishou turn away and laugh while Mika giggles.  
"I'm sorry ___, I wasn't aware." She leans on you, placing a kiss on your neck making you shiver and fall to your knees, holding the spot.  
"Boss help… She's trying to kill me!" You gasp with a blush.  
"I'm sorry. That's not an enemy we can defeat." He deadpans. Mika giggles and pats your back.  
"Come on, let's go in the house of mirrors next!" Mika chimes, helping you up.   
"Okay, but stay close, the walls change sometimes and it's easy to get lost in there." Daishou says as you all make your way over. You hold onto Mika's shirt, making her pause and move your hand to Daishou's jacket, making you blush and Daishou glance back. "Ah… Don't worry ___.” He says looking ahead as pink dusts his cheeks. You send Mika an embarrassed frown as she snickers quietly.  
All of you enter together, but somehow Mika gets separated from you two almost immediately. "Mika?" You call lightly.  
"She bailed on us fast." Daishou frowns.   
"Right? She's really trying…" You trail off too embarrassed to finish that sentence. He clears his throat at that, looking away blushing.  
"I-Its because you told her about the accident." He grumbles.  
"How could I not? She was so direct I didn't want to lie!" You gasp blushing.  
"That's why you change the subject." He hisses back. You both frown at each other before looking away.  
"It was just an accident. We shouldn't be bothered by it." You huff.  
"Exactly." He rubs his neck. He peeks at you and pauses as someone shows up in the mirrors and you're both suddenly separated by a mirror.  
"Boss?" You blink at your reflection. "Ah… Dammit." You sigh.   
"You probably shouldn't have let go of his shirt." Kuroo hums behind you, making you squeak and jump, turning about. "... Did you just squeak…?" He blinks in surprise before covering his face. "God that's cute…"  
"Kuroo! You scared me! What are you doing here?" You manage with a blush.   
"... Having fun." He shrugs, holding out his hand to you shyly. "Come on. I'll help you through this maze."   
"Okay." You smile taking his hand, his blush deepening.   
"So… Are you having fun?" He asks.  
"Yeah. Lots.." You grin. "Hanging out with them is so much fun."  
"Good. Daishou get you those?" He gestures to the prizes.  
"Mhm! The snake is really cool and the cat reminded me of you." You show it to him happily. He pauses before looking away and covering his face with his free hand.  
"... Damn you for being cute." He grumbles.  
"Hehe senpai is so cute." You lean against his arm, head resting against it for a moment. He swallows, peeking at you.  
"H-Hey ___? C-Can I…." He stumbles over his words as you look at him. He blushes with a frown, stopping and leaning over toward you making you freeze with a blush. A pair of arms wrap around you, pulling you back away from Kuroo. Kuroo pauses and glares lightly as Daishou rests his chin on your shoulder, giving Kuroo a glare in response.  
"I told you not to try anything pervy with ___.” Daishou frowns in annoyance.  
"Pervy? A kiss isn't pervy." Kuroo argues, bright red.  
"You were going to kiss me?" You blink in surprise. Kuroo's mouth stops working then. Before he can say anything a mirror comes between you two. Daishou sighs heavily at that.  
"I wasn't even gone that long and he tries to put a move on you." He grumbles, tossing you a look.  
"S-sorry boss." You breathe with a small smile. He hums, looking into your eyes quietly. You feel your face start to heat up, unable to look away. A familiar face appears on the mirrors around you both and you look back as Mika lifts her phone before scowling.  
"Damn mirrors." She sighs as you and Daishou quickly step away from each other with pink faces.   
"Okay, time to escape." Daishou grabs you and Mika's wrists before taking the lead through the maze. After a while you all leave the house of mirrors.   
"... I'm hungry after all that." Mika murmurs.  
"Me too." You and Daishou breathe. You share a glance with him before looking away.  
"...." Mika frowns at both of you. "So damn close…" She grumbles taking the lead now. You and Daishou follow in an awkward silence.   
"Oh. Turkey legs." You gasp.   
"Those do look nice." He agrees.   
"Then let's get them." Mika chimes going over to the stall. You chuckle and you all order one.  
"One for me too please." A chipper voice says and you look over at Oikawa. He blinks at you and smiles warmly. "Hey ___, are you having fun?" He chimes giving you a hug, ignoring the frowns Mika and Daishou gave him.   
"I told one of you Dorm One guys that ___ is ours today." Mika protests in a huff.   
"Don't be selfish. I just want to cuddle and win something for ___. Please?" He gives Mika a puppy dog face and she stiffens, eyes narrowing.   
"Fine…" She huffs.   
"Mika might've been swayed, but I won't be." Daishou reaches for your arm and Oikawa blinks at him.  
"... But aren't you just the boss?" He inquires in a lower tone, making Daishou stop.   
"Come back soon ___…" He says, dropping his arm.  
"Yes boss." You respond lightly as Oikawa guides you away cheerfully at that.  
"Let's see, let's see…" He taps his fingers against his lips with a thoughtful chuckle. "Oh. There's the prize." He chimes, taking you to a dart game. "I love these games." He tells you cheerfully.  
"You are a great aim with your quirk." You smile thoughtfully.  
"That's right my cute kouhai." He pokes your nose. He pays for the darts and picks up some in both hands. "Alright, here I go!" He grins, a dangerous glint flashing through his brown eyes before he throws all of them, popping all of the balloons.   
"Wow… Oikawa… You're a beast." You breathe in amazement. He grins sheepishly and points at a sun plushie to the vendor, receiving it and bringing it over. His smile warms as he blinks down at you. "You… Sap…" You blush, hugging it and hiding your face in his chest. He chuckles and hugs you tightly.   
"Ah… So warm." He smiles happily, leaning his cheek on your temple. "So lovely too." He whispers before pulling back and cupping your face. "I'll come back to steal you later okay?" He winks.  
"Fine fine." You chuckle, he nudges you back toward Mika and Daishou, pausing when you meet his gaze. He presses his lips together before swiftly hugging you tightly one more time then heading off.   
"A sun?" Mika tilts her head as you rejoin them.  
"It's kinda symbolic for him." You shrug sheepishly, hugging it. "Atsumu's gonna hate these. He already has something against my cactus plushie.." You joke.   
"That sounds cute though, why doesn't he like it?" Mika tilts her head.  
"He's convinced it's eyes are full of murder." You chuckle. She gaps at that before laughing.  
"That's so cute!" She giggles.  
"Right? Sometimes I move it just to bug him." You laugh. Daishou smiles watching you both laugh together and joke.   
"Alright. Time for some rides." Mika chimes looking about, for a moment her eyes land on the ferris wheel and she smirks. "Let's try the roller coaster!" She leads the way.   
"Um… M-Mika, I can't." You stammer, making them pause. "I kinda traumatized myself on the last one I went on…" You shift, holding your right hand. Their faces fill with horror at that.   
"Please don't tell me you burst it?!" Mika gasps.  
"Yeah… At the top too, just my car though. Would've died if that winged guy…." You pause, eyes widening. "Holy shit. That was Bokuto..." You mutter. "But anyway, yeah. I… Can't go on rides like that. I'll wait for you two if you want to go." You add swiftly, not wanting to dampen their fun.   
"No that's…" Daishou frowns lightly.  
"I have an idea!" Mika raises her hand and you both pause, looking over at her. "Why don't you two go on the ferris wheel while I ride the roller coaster?" She grins. You and Daishou deadpan at that. "What? It'll be fine." She waves her hand.   
"You're going to do whatever you can to get us on there aren't you?" Daishou guesses. She just responds with a finger gun at that. "... Alright ___, to the ferris wheel." He says leading the way. You frown lightly, and fall in step with him.  
"Sorry." You rub your neck looking down. He pauses glancing at you. "This must be annoying for you right? I'm kinda a nuisance at this point-"  
"___. What the hell are you talking about?" He asks, making you pause and look at him. He raises an eyebrow, frowning at you. "Do I look like I'm not enjoying every moment of this?" He inquires before smiling warmly. "Because I really am. And I would do it again." He chuckles and looks ahead. "Besides, Mika's really cute when she's being stubborn."  
"Yeah she really is. Did you see her puffing her cheeks earlier. I just wanted to hug her and squish her." You gush.  
"Right? Like a chipmunk." He rumbles laughing lightly. "Did you see her face when Oikawa gave her the puppy dog eyes?"  
"It was so cute how her nose scrunched up!" You snicker. "Like a bunny!" He chuckles at that, covering his mouth to conceal his laughter.  
"She's so damn cute!" You both laugh together. He pauses, peering at you before looking away, pinky finger hooking to yours. A blush rises to your cheeks and you look away as well, smiling to yourself.  
"So. After the tournament I'm going to start on building up the agency. Hopefully I can get a good sponsor this time around." He tells you suddenly.   
"Ooo can I come help?" You gasp cheerfully.  
"Of course, you and your quirk will be appreciated." He smiles lightly. "But just so you know, you may have to stay for the night every now and then- with Mika of course." He blushes lightly as he quickly adds the last part, rubbing his neck.   
"That's fine. I'll make time." You smile as you both reach the ferris wheel line. You look up at it with him. "Was this thing always so intimidating?" You joke, starting to feel nervous suddenly.  
"I was just wondering the same thing." He breathes. You both glance at each other as the line moves forward. "I would say we should escape while we can but she's definitely watching us."  
"Yeah. Wouldn't want to upset her." You agree as you both move together, soon reaching the capsule. Swallowing slightly, you climb in and sit down, Daishou sitting across from you. Both of you tense once the door closes and the ride starts to move slowly.   
"... Not so bad…" He manages.  
"Just a ride…." You agree, looking out the window. There's a moment of silence before you both loudly curse and look at each other.  
"What are we doing?" He asks.  
"Completing Mika's request," You answer. "I'm sorry boss I'll take full responsibility." You add, raising your hand slightly.  
"Of course. This is your fault for falling into me back at the lake." He points.  
"You were the one standing so close!" You retort.   
"I was about to punish you for biting me! I mean who does that!?" He gasps.  
"I told you back at the island that I did." You remind him.   
"I never expected you to use that against me!" He exclaims.  
"What else could I have done!? You're freaking tough!" You huff.   
"... Thanks." He grins.  
"Dammit. Don't start being cute now." You point at him.   
"This is payback." He points back. You start to chuckle and he joins in, both of you leaning forward and resting your forehead on the other's shoulder as he does the same to you. "What are we going to do?"  
"No idea. I don't think this is something we can play off very well." You sigh blushing.  
"She's so determined about this…" He grumbles, blushing as well, looking at your hands. His fingertips brush yours softly and you both look to the side where the other wasn't.   
"What do you think..?" You ask carefully.   
"I don't know… My minds all over the place right now… And I know yours is too." He breathes.  
"It really is. I rather be fighting villains." You joke, making him laugh.  
"Right? Hardly any thinking there." He chuckles, gripping your hands briefly. He sits up suddenly and you almost fall forward but he catches your shoulders. "Sorry…" He breathes as your eyes lock with his. His fingers twitch and he swallows, starting to lean toward you.  
The ride shudders and you both jump, looking out to see a fight had broken out below. A black fluid moving through the crowds catches your eye and your heart sinks.  
"Death's here."


	42. Protect

"We need to get down now. Where there's Death, there's probably Midnight." You breathe, looking at the door.  
"___ even if we get the door open neither of us can fly." He points out.  
"But-"  
"You don't trust them to handle this?" He raises an eyebrow and you stop. "It was said this morning that Midnight won't kill any of them right?" He reminds you. You glance between the fight below before turning to him with a nod.  
"Right. And the memories come back. Everything will be fine…" You manage optimistically. But you were gripping your knees uneasily and the ferris wheel stops, leaving you two at the top. Daishou shifts before his tail comes out, sliding through the gap in the window to the outside handle.   
"But who said that's a hero thing to do?" He breathes when you blink at him before the door opens. You both stand up, looking out.  
"Don't worry. I know we won't go splat." You smile. He blinks at you before taking your hand.  
"I believe you then." He smiles in return before you both back up before leaping out with a yell. You spot Bokuto as he spots you both, suddenly bursting at you and catching you both.  
"Hey! Hey! Hey! There's my baby!" He grins, moving to give you a kiss on the cheek but Daishou swiftly moves his hand in the way.  
"Focus. What's going on?" Daishou inquires.  
"Kuroo and Oikawa spotted Death and got attacked. The others are clearing the area and Akaashi is in position to tranquilize him but the bastard disappeared in the water." Bokuto informs.   
"And Midnight?" You ask warily.   
"No one has spotted him yet." He breathes as he sets you both down on the ground.   
"Alright, let's go ___.” Daishou breathes.   
"Right." You nod before rushing toward the fight. Daggers and chains lash out of the black water that sat in a large bubble on the ground. Daishou's tail knocks a dagger away from you and you pause, exchanging a glance with him before taking off your right glove and rushing the water.  
'I can do this! Protect them!' You think, right hand plunging forward. There's a ripple in the water and a chill runs down your spine, making you leap back as the water opens up and Midnight launches at you. "Shit." You breathe twisting out of the way and throwing a kick into his side. He grabs your leg and spins about, throwing you into Daishou as he made a move to attack.  
"YoU ShOUld'VE StaYEd iN ThE FeRrIS WheEL ___.” He states before adjusting his vocals.  
"That's not what a hero does though, Midnight." You breathe getting up and giving him a smile. He pauses before chuckling.  
"Right. A hero… A villain couldn't understand why you feel the need to protect a bunch of strangers who wouldn't give you the time of day otherwise." He shakes his head. "Calling you a monster and when you reach out for help you're smacked away as if you have the plague." You pause, remembering a few instances where you experienced that. "You already know how they are. You can't hide from your own kind ___."   
For a moment Tendo crosses your mind and you feel a knot in your stomach. "No. But they want to hide from me." You grit your teeth, right arm starting to buzz. "And that's fine because I will still be here!" You growl, lunging at him. You swing your right hand at him but he catches it, a burst of purple leaving his suit, revealing the titanium under the paint. You freeze, heart dropping.  
"Who were you thinking about just now?" He asks lightly.  
"None… None of your business." You hiss out, shaking slightly. His grip on your hand tightens briefly.  
"Sounds like a real fool." He comments before releasing your hand and disappearing into the water. You glare at the water, reaching for it.  
"What do you know?" You breathe, bursting a portion of the water. It ripples before swiftly moving for the lake. You would've moved to go after it, but Kuroo and Oikawa laying there stops you. "Kuroo! Oikawa!" You call out, running over to Oikawa and checking him over, relaxing when you find him just unconscious.  
"Kuroo's okay too." Daishou says. You nod, biting your lip and looking to where the water had disappeared in the nearby lake.  
"I'm so damn weak…" You whisper. He looks at your back with a frown at that.  
"___! Daishou!" Mika calls running over. "Is everyone okay?"  
"Yeah, everyone's fine." You answer, pulling on your glove and picking up Oikawa. "Sorry. I was having a lot of fun. But we should get everyone back to the dorms. And get these two cleaned up." You send her a smile. She pauses before nodding.  
"Alright, let's get going." She says, looking at Daishou as he steps back so Bokuto can pick up Kuroo.  
"Hang in there bro. We'll get your memories back." Bokuto murmurs.  
With that the fair closes for the day and after speaking with the police you all return to the dorm. The guys in charge of cleaning up Kuroo since Oikawa woke up first and was currently hiding under a table in the dining room. Iwaizumi and Mika trying to coax him out.   
You step into the lobby after a quick shower to remove the black water from carrying Oikawa. "I left those prizes on your bed." Daishou says lightly, making you look at him as he leans against the wall, hands in his pockets.   
"Thanks." You breathe.   
"You okay? It looked like Midnight struck a nerve back there." He murmurs. You shift and turn to him, offering a bitter smile.   
"He used a line that Tendo always used. I guess I just lashed out at him for reminding me that my best friend pretty much just broke up with me." You look down, tears coming back. "I'm pathetic. It's only been a day but it feels like he's been gone for much longer… I miss him." He steps forward, bringing your forehead to his chest and bringing an arm around you.   
"Nothing left to do but what you can, right?" He breathes. You pause and nod into his chest, hugging him back. "Break ups really suck, but sometimes it's for the best, for both of you." He peers over at Mika as she shifts in the doorway.   
"That's right. Doesn't mean the love is gone." Mika says softly, coming over and hugging you both, rubbing your back. You blink and peer at her, pausing as she kisses a tear away. "We're still here with you."   
"... Thank you." You smile a bit relaxing.  
"But the villains seriously suck. Interrupting you two like that! I outta…" She puffs her cheeks, throwing some punches at the air in annoyance. You and Daishou blink at her before chuckling, Daishou resting his head on yours.  
"Not much we can do about that now." He hums.   
"Yeah. Sorry Mika." You smirk.   
"It's fine. The longer it takes the more romantic it's going to be when it does happen." She hums, straightening her clothes out before smiling as you and Daishou blush at that and break away.   
"I uh… Should check on my senpais." You hum.  
"You do that… Make sure that idiot rooster remembers how much better I am than him." Daishou smirks.  
"Oh you're the worst." You chuckle, pushing him lightly. "Don't be mean to my cute senpai." He pauses before tipping your chin up and making you tense slightly.  
"Don't tell your boss what to do." He teases.   
"Wow. That really bothered you huh?" Mika snickers at him, making him pause and suddenly start for the door.  
"I don't know what you're talking about. Let's head back Mika." He says casually.  
"Oh sure you don't. But I can't believe you're about to leave without giving ___ a hug goodbye." She teases before hugging you warmly.   
"Be careful on your way home okay? Though I'm not worried. You got the boss with you." You murmur, hugging her back. She smiles and gives you a kiss in response. You blush heavily and hide your face in her shoulder, making her giggle.  
"I will ___! See you soon." She chimes, heading out as Daishou comes back over to you.  
"She's absolute trouble." You breathe touching her chest.  
"Well if Mika's trouble then I'm a villain." He jokes lightly as he peers at you.   
"What? No… You're my adorable boss." You chuckle lightly as he touches your hand.  
"That's not what you really think of me, right?" He guesses with a knowing smile.   
"Ah well…. Um…" You blush looking away.  
"Let me tell you a little secret about your boss." He leans next to your ear, "Snakes can distinguish a lot of things by taste and touch. I can feel the rhythm of your heart by touching you. And I know if you're not being completely honest." He whispers as blush comes to your face. He peeks at your face with a soft, amused smile. "So ___, what was that again?" Your lips twitch as he grasps your hand a bit tighter. You give him a small glare.  
"Why do I gotta have such a hot boss…?" You grumble, meeting his gaze. He blinks in surprise before laughing lightly.  
"Your honesty really is something to behold." He says with a blush. He puts a finger to your lips. "Remember, changing the subject can help you out from saying embarrassing things."  
"I felt a snake coiled around me and didn't think that was a possibility…" You puff your cheeks. He chuckles, looking into your eyes.  
"Until next time ___.” He hums before going out. You sigh heavily, gripping your chest.  
"Yeah.. He's a bit of a villain." You mutter before shaking it off and going into the dining room where Iwaizumi seemed to be about ready to drag Oikawa out from under a table. You blink and lean over him, arms coming over his shoulders and making him tense. "Iwa-chan, he's not going to come if you're making such a scary face." You poke his nose.   
"He won't even look at me." He scoffs.  
"Maybe he's shy. So far everyone has been their opposite." You point out, crouching beside him.  
"What the hell are we going to do about that?" He questions. You hum and peer at Oikawa as he peeks at you from between his fingers.   
"... You don't worry about it. I'll take care of him. Once he gets more comfortable we'll work on the memories." You pat Iwaizumi's back softly.  
"Alright… You okay?" He asks lightly.  
"Yeah… I'm going to call Tendo. So…" You rub your cheek.  
"Oh. Okay then." He nods quickly, going out. You smile softly at Oikawa as he peers at the doorway then you.  
"It'll be okay. You can stay there until you're ready." You tell him, before leaning on the wall and calling Tendo.  
'I'm not here right now! But I'll get back to when I can! ___, take it away!'  
'Thank you for calling Tendo! Leave your name and message after the beep!'  
That damn answering machine message makes you chuckle, tears coming back up. "Hey… I uh… I just wanted to call and hear your voice for a bit. Guess the answering machine will do… I had fun at the fair, then Midnight showed up and took Kuroo's and Oikawa's memories away… So here I am, waiting for Oikawa to come out from under the table. And all I can think about is how much I miss you… I just saw you yesterday but… it wasn't enough." You curl up against the wall, fighting back tears. "You don't have to call me back. But I'm still here. And I… I still love you." You sniff before hanging up.   
Oikawa moves out from under the table to wipe your tears away, frowning softly. "...I-Its okay. It'll be okay. You can stay until you're ready." He mimics what you had said just a moment ago. You blink at him before touching his hand and making him tense as you cuddle his palm.   
"You're so warm Oikawa… Like the sun." You breathe. He blinks and tilts his head before moving closer, cupping your face.  
"Warm." He murmurs rubbing your cheeks.  
"Yeah. Thanks. Sorry for crying in front of you. You must feel so lost." You smile apologetically. He nods slightly looking around the room.  
"I am." He breathes before looking at you and tilting his head, hands leaving your face. "Who are you?"  
"I'm ___. And you're Tōru Oikawa." You poke his nose. He blinks and blushes lightly, hiding his face. "And you're my friend." You smile.   
"Friend…" His brown eyes soften a bit.   
"Mhm… You have a room here. Would you like to see? I doubt hiding under the table was comfortable." You offer your hand to him. He blinks and takes your hand hesitantly, relaxing a bit. You smile and stand up, bringing him to his feet. "You can get as close to me as you want if you get scared. I'll protect you no matter what." You tell him, moving some hair from over his eyes. "You still need a bath though. You don't smell very good."  
"I don't…." He agrees with a frown, shaking his head. You smile a bit before guiding him upstairs to his room.   
"I'll get you some clothes okay. But I'm not going to help you wash up." You tell him as you go in. "I don't think my heart could handle that to be completely honest." You breathe, touching your chest. He tilts his head, touching your hand in concern. "I'm fine." You assure quickly, before going to his dresser and pausing. "Please forgive me Oikawa…" You breathe before opening it. You pick out some clothes that you knew would look good on him and let him go into his bathroom with them. "I'm going to check on Kuroo now so… Don't drown." You tell him before closing the door. You go to Kuroo's room, peering in to find him fast asleep on the bed.   
"He's not very energetic." Bokuto says, looking in too.   
"Is he sick?" You frown, going in and checking his temperature. Kuroo stirs before opening his eyes with a glare. You freeze and carefully withdraw your hands. "S-Sorry Kuroo." You manage uneasily as he blinks at you, not at all looking friendly. He just rolls over in response, bringing up the blankets over himself more. "Ah… Sleep well bud…" You say before quickly going out and closing the door. "He hates me." You whisper to Bokuto, tearing up.  
"No no… I'm sure he's just cranky babe." He assures quickly, pulling you into a warm hug. "He hated the bath, doesn't know what's going on and he's just tired. Like a grouchy cat." He pulls back and cups your cheek. "I happen to know that Kuroo adores you." He chuckles lightly.  
"Okay… It's just kinda unnerving to have Kuroo glare at me." You murmur.   
"It's definitely different. I miss my bro. But we have you, and I know you'll find his memories." He beams eskimo kissing you before pausing and peering about briefly.  
"What's wrong?" You ask.  
"Making sure there's no one to get in the way." He responds before kissing you deeply and making you hum, hugging his neck as he presses into you. "I love you." He whispers against your lips. You smile and kiss him back.   
"Ah… You make me feel sooo much better.. I might fall for you." You say, burying your face in his chest. He pauses, blushing heavily before grinning widely, hugging you tightly.  
"Would another kiss help?" He asks happily. You pause and chuckle lightly giving him another kiss.  
"Thank you Bokuto…. Oh! I meant to ask, since I Just remembered it today… But two years ago, did you happen to catch someone that fell from the top of a roller coaster?" You ask.   
"Yeah! How do you know about that?" He tilts his head.  
"That was me." You point to yourself. He pauses, gaping at you before starting to laugh.  
"___, you're really amazing." He chuckles and you pause blinking at him in confusion. "You're the reason I wanted to become a hero." He grins blushing.   
"... Whaaaaat?" You gasp in shock.   
"Yeah. I felt so good catching you, the way you hugged my neck and thanked me with tears in your eyes…. I wanted to keep doing that for people." He looks down smiling softly. "It's crazy how things turn out. Like it was all supposed to happen, but anything could've happened to change it." He takes your hand bringing it up to kiss your knuckles. "Thank you for existing." His soft words make you pause and tear up.  
"I… You're so sweet… And I'm such a crybaby right now." You blink back the tears. "I love you." You whisper. He freezes eyes widening before hugging you tightly.   
"Yes! You finally said it back! I'm in the lead!" He gushes, kissing your face cheerfully. "I'm definitely going to marry you someday." He breathes looking into your eyes. "So be ready."  
"Ah… O-okay…" You manage, in too much shock to register half of it.   
"Oh. I'm hungry! Samu!" He calls heading down the hall after giving you one last kiss. You watch him go before sighing quietly, checking in on Kuroo again before heading back to Oikawa's room, peering in as he comes out of the bathroom with no shirt, frowning at the one he had in his hand. You both freeze when he spots you.  
"I-I-I am… S-S… My bad." You gasp swiftly closing the doors. "Oh wow…" You whisper to yourself, covering your face. 'Why do they allow gods here? Talk about over kill…' You think blushing heavily. You smack your cheeks, taking in a breath. 'Focus. You saw… Nothing. Take care of Oikawa, do not be weird.' You mentally prepare yourself, pacing in front of the door. 'Oh no… He's so hot… I can't do this. I should leave him with Iwaizumi… But he might hide under the table again.' You stop and sigh, bowing your head. You feel a touch on your shoulder and jump, looking over at Oikawa as he blinks at you with a head tilt.  
"Don't go…" He frowns.   
"Go? I'm not going anywhere. Did you not like that shirt?" You tilt your head.  
"It fell on the floor and got wet." He pouts, shoulders drooping.   
"Oh. Alright. Sorry about that…" You scratch your cheek, glad he had found another shirt to wear.   
"___, food." Iwaizumi calls, poking his head into the hall. Oikawa stiffens and swiftly shuts the door, making you jump. Iwaizumi blinks and frowns lightly. "Nevermind. I'll bring you guys up a plate." He decides before disappearing back downstairs.  
"Thanks Iwa-chan." You call before knocking on the door. "Oikawa it's okay, no one is going to hurt you here. I'm going to protect you, remember." You say to the door softly. He opens it again, peeking at you at that. "There we go," You smile. "Can I come in? Iwa-chan is going to bring us some food and I'd like to eat with you."  
"Yes… Come in." He breathes letting you in. He looks around his room rather lost before frowning lightly. "What…. Do I do?" He tilts his head.  
"You mean like right now? Or in general?" You ask, making the lost look stick on his face.  
"Both?"   
"Oh. Well right now we're going to get you more comfortable before going to try and get your memories back. As for the other question… You're working very hard to become an amazing hero." You smile thoughtfully, looking out the window. He watches you for a moment.   
"___,” Iwaizumi says in the doorway making Oikawa jump and hide behind you.   
"Um… It's okay Oikawa, Iwaizumi's your best friend. And he's strong and honest…" You take the plates as Iwaizumi blushes lightly. You meet his green gaze before kissing his cheek. "And surprisingly sweet sometimes." You chuckle as Iwaizumi blushes more, sending you a small frown.  
"O-Osamu says enjoy." Iwaizumi stammers before closing the door quickly. You chuckle a bit and Oikawa tilts his head, peering at the food as his stomach growls.   
"Alright, time to eat." You beam and sit down with him, starting to eat.  
"... Are you working to be a hero too?" He inquires.   
"Mhm…"  
"Why?" He asks. You pause, blinking at him.  
"Everytime I'm asked that I'm not sure what to say…" You admit tilting your head and thinking. "At first it was something I wanted to try out. But now… I have a lot of people here that I want to protect. So I kinda need to be a hero to be there when they need me. You know?" You smile a bit, focusing on your food.  
"... Have you ever hurt someone?"   
"Well yeah. I need to fight villains." You nod.  
"Have you… Ever killed someone?" This question makes you pause. Telling him the truth would probably scare him like this. You glance at him, for a second Daishou crosses your mind.  
"Oikawa you have some food here." You reach over and wipe off a piece of rice from the corner of his lip. Oikawa's eyes widen as he blushes heavily. "You're kinda messy." You hum, eating the piece of rice. He pulls up his shirt collar to hide his blushing face.   
"S-sorry." He manages shyly.   
"It's fine. I don't mind. It's really cute." You chuckle. You had to get his mind off the other subject completely. "Look at me. I wanna see those beautiful eyes." You breathe lightly, leaning forward and making him tense. He peeks at you, face still pink. "Wow. You could hide all the stars in them." You whisper in amazement, nose brushing his before he hides in his shirt. You sit back nodding to yourself. 'I think I did good. I'm sure Daishou would be impressed.' You think to yourself and finish eating. "Finish eating so I can take your plate back." You nudge him.   
"... Can I come?" He peeks at you before starting to eat.  
"Of course. I'm sure the others will be happy to see you." You nod. He shifts and eats a little more before looking at you expectantly. You take his plate and guide him out and downstairs to the kitchen, being greeted by the twins and Ushijima.  
"Hey Oikawa. How are you feeling?" Atsumu asks lightly, taking the plates from you.   
"I…. Alright…" Oikawa hugs your arm uneasily.  
"That's good..? Did you like your food?" Osamu hums.  
"Not really…" Oikawa breathes and Osamu pauses while your jaw drops.  
"... Can I ask what was wrong with it?" Osamu inquires, turning to him.   
"Ah… Samu-" Atsumu reaches for his brother.  
"What? I… Has he never liked my food? I want to know while he's honest." Osamu says as Oikawa hides behind you.  
"Sorry…" Oikawa breathes, holding onto your shirt.  
"I'm not mad Oikawa. I just want to know what I did wrong." Osamu assures lightly.  
"Awe, Samu…" You murmur.  
"I just didn't like that…" Oikawa whispers. "___ can we go back now..?"   
"Huh? Sure." You pat Oikawa's arm. "How's Kuroo, has he eaten?" You add to Atsumu while Osamu sulks.   
"No. He's just looking really mad in the corner of his room." Akaashi answers coming in.  
"I'll try to get him to eat. Can you take Oikawa back to his room? You're the less threatening looking one here." You request.  
"What..?" Atsumu huffs.  
"Pretty sure Osamu kinda has him on edge now, and Ushijima is a bit of a beast." You motion to them.  
"I see.. Makes sense, come with me Oikawa." Akaashi offers his hand.  
"... ___…” Oikawa frowns uneasily.  
"It's okay. I'll be right up." You assure softly. He hesitates before taking Akaashi's hand and going out. You sigh before going over and hugging Osamu from behind. "Don't pout. I loved it and Oikawa's a bit odd to begin with." You murmur before placing a kiss on his neck, making him stiffen slightly.  
"... Come here." He turns about and kisses you softly before hugging you tightly. "Sorry about that."  
"You were just surprised. I was too." You hum hugging back just as tightly. "So where's Kuroo's plate?" You add.  
"Here. Good luck." Atsumu hands it to you and you take it up to Kuroo's room, easing into the room and setting the food on the nightstand. Kuroo was in the corner of his room, half asleep, glaring at you.   
"I brought you food. Come eat." You smile at him, coming around the bed. He doesn't respond, shifting against the wall. You frown, moving closer and crouching in front of him. He moves back slightly, glaring at you more. "Are you going to hit me Kuroo?" You ask carefully. He blinks before shaking his head quietly. "Then why do you look so mad.?"  
"I don't know you… Or me… Or anyone…" He shifts, looking at you lost. "Why can't I remember?" He whispers. "What happened?"  
"Someone attacked you. And Oikawa." You answer lightly. "They took your memories. And I don't know why… Maybe it's my fault." You frown looking down. "I'm sorry Kuroo."  
"... Do you want to hurt me?" He asks quietly.  
"No. Never." You shake your head. "I like you Kuroo. You're my friend." You frown softly.  
"Then… How is this your fault?" He asks and you pause, mind going blank. He lowers his face into his arms. "I don't think you're bad." He peeks at you, brows furrowed. "But I'm scared…"  
"I know you are Kuroo." You reach out carefully and touch his arm. "But you're not alone here. And you're surrounded by friends whether you realize or not." You tilt your head. "It's going to be okay. I won't let anyone hurt you. Promise."   
"... I'll eat now." He murmurs, relaxing. You smile and go to grab the plate, bringing it other and offering him a bite, making him pause and look at you.   
"Say ahhh." You smile lightly.   
"... Ahhh." He complies letting you feed him the bite. "Mm… Did you make this?" He tilts his head.  
"Nope. Osamu did. It's good right?" You grin. He nods, shifting closer to carefully take the plate and eat.   
"It is… Thank you." He murmurs. There's a light knock and Akaashi peers in.  
"Oikawa is persistently requesting your presence." He informs.  
"I'll be there. Even with no memory he's so demanding." You sigh. Kuroo shifts, looking at Akaashi wearily before raising a hand in greeting.  
"Oh, you got him to relax a bit…" Akaashi says, stepping inside. He moves to your side and kneels down. "Can I get you anything Kuroo? To make you feel more comfortable?" He inquires.  
"... I don't know…" Kuroo frowns looking around before looking at you.   
"I'm not sure what will help… How about I get you something to hug until you feel better?" You hum.  
"Okay…" He nods. You smile and get up.   
"I'll be right back." You tell them before going out and to your room to grab the black cat prize from the fair before bringing it back to Kuroo, handing it to him. He blinks at it, hugging it before relaxing more.  
"I like this…" He murmurs, closing his eyes.  
"Good…" You smile and give him a hug, making him pause and peer at you. "Rest a bit okay?"   
"Okay… Will you come back soon?" He inquires.  
"I'll try, you can come find me if you want." You brush your fingers through his hair. "I'm sure Bokuto will be by soon, okay?"   
"Okay… Thank you." He breathes. You smile a bit, leaning over and kissing his forehead before going out to Oikawa's room as he peers out with a pout.  
"I told you I was going to come back, have more patience." You poke his nose.  
"Sorry." He rubs his nose as you brush by. "Will you nap with me? Please?" He asks.  
"Yeah. I could really use one." You admit, taking off your hoodie and crawling into the bed, pausing and nuzzling his pillow, flopping over. "I really like your scent…" You yawn as he crawls in too. He blinks and smiles a bit at that before cuddling up to you.   
"I like yours." He responds quietly.   
"Good to know… Goodnight."  
"Goodnight ___…”


	43. Uncertain

Tendo listens to the message again, frowning lightly. "... The more I listen to ___ on this the more I want to take everything back." He sighs, resting his head on the desk.  
"It is sad hearing that lil chipper so down." Death agrees. "Rakurai is reporting in. Says no one has noticed the switch and everything is going smoothly." He adds, checking his phone when it goes off.  
"I didn't see any problems there." Tendo murmurs. "How's the captive?"  
"He keeps demanding to speak with you." Death answers.  
"Only so he can attack me. I didn't take him for the wild type." Tendo says before replaying your message. "Think I should call back..?"  
"... Don't you need to pick up that other device and canisters from that Kita lad?" Death tells him. Tendo pauses and sits up. "You'll behave as long as there's other people right?"  
"Yeah but…" Tendo frowns unsurely.  
"Face it boss. If a week goes by you'll still be listening to that message and regretting it." Death goes over and puts a cup of coffee on the table next to Tendo's phone. "Go see yer love. Who said break ups gotta last?"   
"I… Can't. If I leave now that guy will escape, and our chance to take out another branch of Claw will go down the drain.. I will message Kita and then call ___. Kobalt, fill the hall around his chamber with black water. He needs to stay put for the next few hours. Claw will contact us then." Tendo breathes, sipping the coffee.  
"Yes boss." Death moves to do so. Tendo glances at the door, one of his eyes lighting up.  
"Oh… That's a problem… Why does everything look uncertain now?" He frowns at the current future. Must be Glow's presence. A deadly smile forms on Tendo's lips at that. "Hope you're ready, Glow. I'm going to show you exactly why I run this show… And once Claw's out of the way, there won't be any more uncertainties left to surprise me other than my dear ___.” 

*-*+*-*

You shift awake, feeling a weight on your shoulder and pausing, opening your eyes to find Oikawa's head on your shoulder. You blink at his face a few times and blush. "Oh… He's so cute…" You whisper hugging his head and kissing his temple, making him chuckle in his sleep, blushing lightly. "Sorry… I couldn't help it." You murmur lightly. He smiles and hugs you warmly.   
"That's okay." He hums, keeping his eyes closed.   
"So nice to wake up to you in the morning." You cup his face, rubbing his cheeks affectionately. He smiles softly and hides his face in your shoulder with another chuckle.  
"You too…" He breathes. You nuzzle his hair before pulling away.  
"You can go back to sleep. I'm going to make breakfast." You murmur, getting out of bed.   
"Wait…" He hugs your waist, almost making you fall over. "Don't go yet." He grumbles into the small of your back, making a shiver go through you.   
"F-Fine… You're so demanding." You manage, patting his arm.   
"I gotta use the bathroom. Get back in bed." He says getting up and going to the bathroom quickly. You blink and sigh quietly before crawling back in under the blanket, stretching slightly. He soon comes back out, rubbing one of his eyes and peering at you.  
"I should really go make breakfast." You sit up. He blinks and pouts, crawling over the bed to come nose to nose with you.   
"But I…" He pouts more, forehead pressing against yours before he cuddles his cheek to yours.  
"You're so cuddly today." You comment as he lightly pushes you back down onto the bed.  
"Mhm… You're so warm." He smiles softly. "Like the sun." He looms over you for a moment, brown eyes looking into yours warmly. He lays on you, nuzzling your cheek. "Can't we stay here together…?" He pouts at you.   
"We really should work on your memories of you…" Your phone starts to ring and you pick it up, heart skipping a beat before you quickly answer it. "H-Hey…"  
'Hey… I'm sorry it took me so long to call.'   
"I-Its okay Tendo. I uh… I'm just glad you did… How are you?" You ask while Oikawa sits up, looking at the phone quietly.  
'I'm good. Got a busy day ahead of me… I got a hold of Kita. He'll be stopping by your dorm later with a new device and some canisters. Don't go letting Midnight mug you again. Okay?' He breathes with a light, teasing tone.  
"H-He didn't mug me…" You scoff.  
'Yes he did. He took that device and your innocent heart.' He teases.  
"Sh-Shut it. If anyone took off with the last one it's…" You trail off and blush, covering your eyes.   
'Awww don't stop there, I wanna know.' He chuckles. 'Oh but I can guess… Sakusa?.'  
"I'm not going to tell you over the phone." You smirk.  
'Hey now… That's sneaky.' He breathes. 'Fine… How are the amnesia cases doing?' He inquires.  
"Well they're starting to relax now. Oikawa is really cuddly today. Won't even let me make breakfast." You hum, sending said guy a look.   
"Someone else can make it. Don't go." He pouts, resting his chin on your chest and puffing his cheeks.  
'Aww. Sounds like he's taken by you, regardless of his memories or not. And I'm jealous about the cuddling part.' He breathes. Your heart sinks a bit, feeling like everything was about to turn sour in this conversation. '___, sometime soon. Let's go on a real date.' He says surprising you.   
"Ah… You… You mean it?" You murmur starting to sit up.  
'Yeah. I know we should stay apart but… Let's be honest. I miss you more now than I ever have… So if I'm going to do this. I'm going to do it right. I'm going to make you fall in love with me too.' He states. You smile tearing up slightly.   
"O-okay." You sniff.  
'Hm? Are you crying?'   
"I'm just so relieved and happy." You rub your eyes with a sheepish chuckle.   
'... I love you-'  
"More than anything in this world. You know that, right Tendo?" You finish for him.   
'I… If you keep that up I am going to kiss you. So hard, when I see you again.' He warns, sounding flustered.  
"Heh. Bring it on." You chuckle.  
'I… You… I'm hanging up now. Goodbye and I love you.' He stammers before hanging up. You chuckle happily and hug Oikawa tightly. He blinks at you in confusion, hugging you back.   
"Something good happened?" He guesses.  
"Yeah… Now let me go make breakfast." You breathe, trying to pull away but his arms tighten as he pouts. "I'm warning Oikawa."  
"B-But I just.." His grip doesn't slacken. You huff and meet his gaze before leaning up and kissing him deeply, feeling a slight jolt. He stiffens, arms loosening in surprise as you push him back against the bed before quickly getting up.  
"I'll bring you up a plate." You hum going out the door. He sits up, covering his mouth with a bright red covering his face.  
"O-okay…"

~

"Ya okay boss.?" Death smiles a bit after Tendo crouches down and laughs cutely, hugging himself.  
"I'm so glad you talked me into that." Tendo breathes smiling at the floor. "I feel a lot better now."   
"Good. I'm happy for ya boss, didn't feel right having ya all down." Death pat his back before pausing as Tendo suddenly gets up and hugs him tightly.   
"Thanks Kobalt. You're a good friend." Tendo breathes. Death blinks and frowns starting to tear up.  
"D-Don't get sappy with me lad." He scoffs, hugging him back with a small blush.  
"Awe Kobalt. Are you crying?" Tendo chuckles lightly, patting his back. "... Wanna go rob an ice cream shop while the captive's asleep?"  
"... Yeah I need ta feel manly again…"  
"Alright let's go."  
"Ya sure it's okay?"  
"Yeah. He's strong but not stupid, probably conserving his energy because he knows he's about to be part of something big."

~

You hum as you finish making breakfast and turn to go wake the others, freezing when you see Kuroo peeking in the doorway, looking at the food hungrily. Under his arm he held the black cat plushie you had given him to borrow.  
"Kuroo. You scared me." You huff touching your chest.  
"Sorry… I was hungry…" He frowns lightly.   
"Heh. Come on, I'll make you a plate before waking the others." You hold out your hand to him. He takes it carefully before going with you as you make him a plate and walk him to the dining room.  
"Thank you…" He murmurs sitting down and pausing, looking between your hand and the black cat, not sure which one to let go of to eat.  
"Kuroo, I need to wake the others." You remind him, making him look up at you.  
"Okay… Can you wake up Bokuto first?" He requests.  
"Sure… You two getting along?" You ask him.  
"Yeah… He's nice, and warm like you. I'm not so scared if one of you is there." He says looking down quietly.  
"He would be really happy to hear that." You chuckle, kissing his temple. "I'll go wake him then." You pat his head before going upstairs and peeking in Bokuto's room, finding him fast asleep cuddling his owl hoodie. You pause, silently gushing as you ease in and crawl into his bed, pressing some soft kisses on his face and making him stir and smile a bit, waking up. He smiles up at you.  
"Did I tell you how much I love having you as an alarm clock?" He breathes pulling you down into a hug and kissing you.   
"No. But I know I love being your alarm clock." You kiss his chin, making him chuckle softly. "I made food, and Kuroo requested that I wake you first." You tell him.  
"Awww… He likes me?" He chuckles smiling.  
"He said you're warm and he feels safe with you around… It was really cute and I totally understand what he means." You giggle lightly.  
"... You two…" He puts a hand over his face, grinning to himself. You chuckle at his reaction and steal a kiss, making him hum and touch your sides. "Thank you."  
"For what?" You tilt your head in confusion.  
"Your kisses just make me so happy." He breathes softly, laying his head back with a smile. He pauses, blinking at the ceiling.  
"So you haven't woken up the others yet?"  
"Nope..?"  
"Good." He suddenly rolls you onto the bed, wrapping you up in his blankets before going out into the hall. "HEY! HEY! HEY! ___ MADE FOOD!" He calls out as you free yourself, stopping to blink at him in surprised confusion. He soon comes back in, closing the door behind him before crawling onto the bed to give you another kiss.  
"Now no one else can get a cute wake up call from my love." He snickers.  
"Oh. You're clever." You poke his nose making him chuckle. You both smile at each other, looking into the other's eyes. "I love you."  
"I love you too." He grins like an idiot hugging you tightly. "You make me so happy."  
"Awww…" You chuckle kissing his cheek. "Let me get Oikawa so we can eat."   
"Alright… I think Kuroo's almost ready to go memory searching." He says getting up with you.  
"Good. I'm pretty sure Oikawa is. Think I'll go with Iwaizumi and him to go search for his memories today." You tell him.  
"Alright, then tomorrow can be Kuroo's turn. Me and you can go with Kenma for that one." He says.  
"Sounds good." You kiss him and head upstairs to Oikawa's room, opening the door as he's pulling up his shirt to change. You both freeze and he swiftly puts his shirt down with a blush. "I'm sorry I keep doing this…. Um hurry up so we can eat." You tell him covering your eyes and backing out. He soon comes out, blinking at you quietly before taking your hand from your face.  
"It's okay. I don't mind." He manages with a light blush, smiling at you. You nod and lead him downstairs to the dining room, sitting between him and Kuroo to eat.  
"Iwaizumi, after Kita stops by let's head out to get Oikawa's memories." You tell him.  
"Alright… Kita's coming by?"   
"Yeah Tendo said he was to give me a new K.K." You answer.  
"Oh good. You two are talking again." Kiyoomi sighs in relief, sitting back before pausing. "Wait. Did something happen to your last K.K?"  
"... Midnight might have… Mugged me when I was out with Ushijima before the trip…" You scratch your cheek.  
"What?! Why didn't you say anything?" Atsumu questions.  
"No one got hurt and he escaped." You shift slightly.  
"He took your healing device. It's worth mentioning ___.” Kiyoomi scolds.   
"You're right… I'm sorry." You murmur, looking down. You really should've been more careful talking about it. Oikawa blinks at the tension in the air before hugging you happily.   
"I want to spend the whole day with you. Please ___?” He peers at your face smiling.  
"Well, that's kinda the plan." You blink at him. "Right Iwa-chan?"  
"Yeah." He scratches his cheek.  
"Not him. Just me and you." Oikawa cuddles your cheek happily.  
"Looks like he's feeling like himself now." Daichi comments.  
"But I need Iwa-chan. And he's coming." You state bluntly.   
"Fine…" He grumbles.   
After eating you go to change your clothes before meeting Oikawa and Iwaizumi in the lobby. "I'm ready. How about you two?" You ask stretching.   
"I'm ready." Iwaizumi nods.  
"... I wanna go back in the room…" Oikawa pouts, touching your hand.   
"No." You poke his nose before a knock sounds on the door. "Oh, must be Kita." You smile going to the door and opening it.   
"Good morning." Kita greets as you give him a hug.   
"Good morning Kita. Thank you for coming over." You smile up at him.  
"Of course. Though I wish you had told me you lost that device. When Tendo told me I got a little worried." He admits before holding up a pen like device. "This one is a bit more compact and easy to hide, canisters are thinner and hold less but.. I don't think anyone will think to steal this.'   
"Awwe K.K 2.0 is so cute…" You grin, taking it carefully, he smiles and hands you an arm band lined with the new canisters.  
"Be safe." He touches your cheek. "And stop losing phones." He pinches your cheek.  
"That's just something out of my control Kita.." You chuckle, touching his hand.   
"I'm starting to see that." He sighs and looks down. "Tell me about it soon? I have errands today so I must get going." He tells you.  
"... How about a date then?" You murmur, stepping closer and making him pause.   
"I'll hold you to it." He smiles thoughtfully, tipping your chin. "See you."  
You smile and turn back to Iwaizumi and Oikawa. "I'm going to put this up and then we'll go." You say before quickly going upstairs to do so. You soon come back down and smile at them. Oikawa was keeping his distance from Iwaizumi as you all headed out together. Iwaizumi takes the lead and you fall in step with him.   
"You okay?" You peek at his face while Oikawa tugs your hand for attention.  
"Yeah. It's weird having to physically walk down memory lane though." He blinks, looking ahead.  
"I bet… You're doing better than Kenma at least. I checked on him before we left, he's getting pictures together in hopes one of them will trigger a memory. He seemed really down, but not too worried." You hum, linking arms with him.  
"No need to worry. We'll get them back." Iwaizumi nods.  
"___…" Oikawa pouts, hugging your arm.  
"What? I'm paying attention to Iwa-chan right now." You frown at him.  
"No… Pay attention to me." He protests.  
"You stop being so demanding. Iwa-chan needs attention too." You scold.  
"I uh… Really don't. That's okay.” Iwaizumi blushes lightly.  
"I'm not going to succumb to his will just because he wants me to." You respond bluntly. "And I don't get to hang out with you much. This is a great chance for us to bond." You grin.  
"Didn't we bond when we shared a room?" He tilts his head.  
"Not really." You murmur. "A lot was going on and Claw took me."   
"True…" He rubs his neck. "We were all worried, and a few of the others got really intimidating…"   
"Yeah, I heard." You breathe. Oikawa frowns heavily, kissing your cheek. "You're so stubborn like this. Behave or I'm going to smack you." You huff to Oikawa. His eyes narrow at you and he pecks your lips. You karate chop his head at that and he stiffens before chuckling happily.   
"... He really is clinging to you." Iwaizumi huffs, frowning at Oikawa. The other blinks at him and moves back slightly.  
"You're like a repellent right now." You comment to Iwaizumi. He blinks at you before putting an arm around your waist, glancing at the scowl on Oikawa's face before smirking and looking ahead. You pause and lean into Iwaizumi's side with a smile, making him blush.   
He takes you through his and Oikawa's home town. Showing both of you where they had played, and some places that held important memories. But nothing seemed to click. Before you knew it, the sun was setting as you walked down an old road with them along farmland.  
"If this last place doesn't do it… I don't know what will." Iwaizumi frowns. You look at him and rub his back lightly. "Is this how it felt when Sakusa didn't remember you?" He inquires, touching his chest.  
"Probably. It really sucks but hang in there, we'll get them back." You breathe.   
"___, I'm hungry…" Oikawa grumbles.  
"We just ate… Though you should've finished your food." You tell him.  
"I didn't like the food.." He scoffs.  
"I never realized how picky he is." You mutter. Iwaizumi hums, peering at Oikawa from the corner of his eye.   
After a while longer he stops at a damaged shrine. "This is the last memory I can think of that'll work." Iwaizumi moves forward, ducking through the damaged doorway and disappearing. Oikawa grips your arm.  
"I don't like this. Let's go back." He tells you frowning.  
"What are you afraid of? Your memory might be in there." You tell him, leading the way after Iwaizumi. Oikawa pauses, glancing back with a heavy frown before going in after you. "So… Did you two do this or something?" You ask when you come to Iwaizumi's side, looking up at a broken statue.  
"No. We were playing in here when a fight broke out nearby. A villain came crashing through and we ended up becoming hostages." He responds as Oikawa comes to your other side, taking your hand. "Oikawa's quirk manifested that day, a bunch of needles came out of him and the villain dropped him. While the villain focused on him a hero came through and took him out. Oikawa was so in awe of the hero, and decided that day that was what he wanted to do."   
"Wow… That sounds wild." You breathe. Iwaizumi nods and turns to Oikawa.   
"So, do you recall anything?" Iwaizumi inquires. Oikawa blinks and looks around carefully before shaking his head.  
"No… Can we go now? I don't feel well." Oikawa tugs your hand seeming really uneasy all of a sudden.   
"Okay… What's wrong? Are you sick?" You reach to cup his forehead but a tingle in your neck makes you suddenly lunge into him as something grazes by. You and Iwaizumi look over at the dart sticking out of the statue before someone crashes through the wall behind it, swinging an absurdly large mallet at you and Oikawa.   
Oikawa's arms come around you then, large black chains coiling around you both to absorb the impact. You grip Oikawa's arms in surprise at that and one of the chains whip out to hit the man back out of the shrine. Iwaizumi punches back another attacker, looking over at you two uneasily. He opens his mouth to speak but the shrine starts to break apart, the ground beneath it moving like waves.   
"Uh oh." Oikawa breathes, jumping back with you as the ground ripples and a giant spike rips through the floor. You remove your right glove, and get out of Oikawa's grasp swiftly touching the spike to disperse it.  
"Let's get outside!" You call to Iwaizumi who had jumped to the other side of the room.  
"Right." He nods and you burst your way out, being greeted by a group of villains.  
"___, we've been looking for you. Well. Your quirk actually." The woman chimes.  
"So you attack us? You guys really need to work on your communication skills before they get you killed." You tell them bluntly.  
"No point in talking. We already know you're going to put up a fight. You already know who we are after all." She hums.  
"Claw…" You and Iwaizumi say together.  
"That's right. But if you want to do this peacefully, we have prepared this nice titanium cage for you." She lifts her arm and the cage leaves the ground like it had lifted out of water. "Your friends here can join you. Or… You know. Die?" She tilts her head.  
"... I'm so fucking sick of that." You breathe, arm starting to tingle, making Iwaizumi and Oikawa stiffen. "Everytime I turn around some bastard is threatening my friends." What was this darkness starting to dance in your vision as everything seems to pulse? "Here we are minding our own and you feel the need to come screw with us?" You focus on them. "You can all just fuck off into the infinite."   
"Oh." She whispers, sounding as if her heart had just dropped.  
"___, I understand why you're mad. But get ahold of yourself." Iwaizumi calls warily. Why was he shouting? He's right there. But the blood rushing in your ears was a bit deafening.  
'___. You're scary.' A child's voice echoes your mind and instantly clears it. You let out a breath, feeling light headed as you blink back.  
"I don't know what just happened, but let's grab 'em now." The big man says, suddenly swinging his mallet and sending Iwaizumi tumbling.  
"Iwa-chan!" You call after him but Oikawa suddenly knocks you down as metal wires shoot at you. While you move to get up, something makes the wires spaz and retreat as their wielder falls over shuddering.   
"___, we should run now-" You're suddenly sent into the air as the ground flings you up. What's going on? Focus! Focus on what's around you. You were trying to tell yourself this but it felt like something had fried your brain. You twist instinctively, dodging the woman as she goes past in a failed attempt to attack you. You raise your right arm to her but stop yourself.   
'What am I doing?' You fall to ground with a thud, pain shooting up through you.   
"___!" Oikawa scoops you up, looking at you worriedly. He looks over for a moment, swiftly covering your eyes. A few cries sound around you, accompanied by the sound of rattling chains. He uncovers your eyes and you peer around in confusion, finding most of the group down.   
Your eyes focus on Iwaizumi as he glares at Oikawa uneasily. "Let go of ___. Bastard." He snarls, arms igniting.  
"Huh? Iwa-chan what's wrong?" You hold up your arms in alarm.   
"That's not Oikawa."


	44. Team Up

You freeze, slowly turning your head to meet sky blue eyes and a smile. "Boss said the best friend would figure it out first. What a pain too. I was really enjoying you." He breathes softly.  
"You…" You move to get away but something comes out of the ground beneath you two and a titanium door slams shut above you. "Shit."   
"___!" Iwaizumi rushes toward you and you look over as the mallet guy comes out of the shrine, smacking him back and sending him tumbling. The mallet guy snickers, walking over and raising his mallet as Iwaizumi coughs and tries to get up.  
"Stop!" You shout, making them pause and look at you. "Another move and I'll send you to the infinite." You warn. He huffs, waving an arm dismissively before looking down at Iwaizumi again, raising up the mallet again.   
"Do it." Not-Oikawa breathes as you raise your arm.   
"Burst." You whisper, the man bursts into a red cloud, mallet falling to the ground in front of Iwaizumi. The other blinks at the mallet in shock, trying to get up again but a dart lodges into his arm, making him stop and fall back over. You press against the bars worriedly, opening your mouth to call out to him.  
"Shit… Cover it up!" The woman orders as a titanium mitt is slipped over your right hand and locked in place by a lizard looking guy. You growl, retracting your hand and falling back as the cage is picked up. The imposter catches you in his arms and you give him a glare, moving away quickly.  
"Ah… You're mad…" He smiles as a cover comes over the cage, leaving you nearly in darkness. Iwaizumi should be alright now… Right? Losing the big guy should've been more than enough warning. You blink a few times, relaxing before registering what the imposter had just said.  
"Of course I am. Who the hell are you and where is Oikawa?" You growl uneasily, trying to free your hand.  
"I'm Rakurai. And I work for Midnight. I'm not sure about my doppelganger, but I'm sure he's safe. They didn't take his memories at least." He hums with a carefree smile. You relax a bit at that, still frowning at him.   
"I kissed a stranger…" You cover your face.  
"Yeah you did. A few times actually. Not that I minded." He chuckles. You give him a surprised look at that. "You probably felt a jolt or spark from my lips. I have electricity running along my veins." He taps his lips. "Usually girls that kiss me turn to mush because of it." He chuckles.  
"... You.. Back at the shop." You recall.  
"Actually. Before that, you liked my cologne and I liked how the stars looked in your eyes." He chuckles. "You know. This isn't the first time I've played as him. Before I dropped out, so many girls would approach me, confusing me for him. They knew random things about him, and I was able to act just like him after a while. They were all so easy…" His tone becomes a bit more rugged.   
"You enjoy that? Pretending to be someone you're not." You raise an eyebrow, eyes narrowing.  
"Mhm. Like killing it's very easy." He tilts his head. "You understand the killing part at least. I saw what you did back at the mountains, you're really amazing. And Midnight is really amazing for being able to keep you alive back then."  
"Yeah… Midnight is pretty amazing… Tell me who he is." You hum.  
"Now now, don't try that. I have a deep respect and fear of him." He points at you.   
"Fine… Why be a villain?" You question.  
"Because it's easy. Killing, stealing… For me it's all easy. And when I get bored I can pick up lovers because I have such a nice face." He snickers. "It's fun… Why didn't you take that route? You're so powerful, and with Midnight you could be unstoppable. Who needs those useless dormmates of yours? Join the winning team."  
"Call my dormmates useless again and I'll stomp your face in." You glare.  
"Oops. Didn't mean to say that out loud. It's really a bad habit." Rakurai touches his mouth sheepishly.  
"I should've known something was off when you said Samu's food wasn't good." You huff.  
"It wasn't. And neither was yours." He states. "Not that you're a bad cook or anything. I just enjoy the taste of electricity." He assures. "I'm kinda addicted to it really. So everything else tastes bad."   
"You have a lot of issues don't you?" You deadpan.  
"... Yeah…" He bows his head. "I'm kinda bummed about this. I really wanted to put more moves on you. But nooo, we had to bring Iwa-chan along." He grumbles. "But you know. I did enjoy you ignoring me. That whole cold shoulder thing was kinda hot."  
"Alright, I'm done listening to you ramble, shut up." You tell him before focusing on anything else.  
"You're going to ignore me again?" He pouts. "I may not be Oikawa, but didn't you feel we had a connection? Especially back on the roof." He shifts closer to you with a smile.   
"You're a monsterous actor." You comment.   
"I told you, I just know how your beloved Oikawa thinks. And starry lines are just so easy to work with. Gotta admit, I'm quite proud of myself for that one." He puts a knuckle to his chin. "It sure won you over at least."   
"Wait… How did you know about Tendo?" You ask.  
"We've been watching you guys really closely. How else do you think I was able to enter the dorm, grab a jacket from that guy's room and come to the roof to talk to you without a problem? Without the foxes noticing." He leans forward. Your heart sinks uneasily at that. "With so many from Dorm One gone camping, it was easy to tour the place. Your room is really nice by the way, the twins are so lucky."   
"What game are you bastards playing?" You snarl.  
"The one where we wait for the best time to convince you to join us." He smiles.   
"Not happening." You frown heavily.   
"Hey. Tell me more about your Tendo friend. You too are really close right?" He moves closer, sky blue eyes glittering with curiosity. You glare at him. Damn him for having Oikawa's face. "And best friends have all kinds of promises to keep…" You pause as he leans forward, tilting his head. "Is there a really important promise between you two?"   
Your eyes become cold at that, and he pauses. "That's nothing for some stranger to be concerned with. Now how about you back off. Lean any further and I'll bite off your nose." Your lip curls.  
"Heh… You sure are pulling some interesting faces with me now… Scary…" He sits back and pauses. "Ah. Speaking of… What happened earlier? I thought you were about to kill all of them but you stopped, looking really lost."   
"Of course I stopped. I'm not some villain." You scoff looking away.  
"But didn't you just kill that guy with the mallet?" He tilts his head.  
"I warned him what would happen if he tried to hurt Iwaizumi again." You murmur, gripping the titanium mitt.   
"Why not just admit it? You're a monster." He chuckles. "You can surround yourself with sheep all you want. But one day that hunger's going to take over and then you'll find yourself standing amongst a dead flock." He breathes lowly. You stare at him for a few moments before whacking him upside the head with the mitt, knocking him out.   
"I liked you better when you were pretending." You breathe, sitting back.   
Claw had you again, and this time you couldn't really escape or fight back. You pause and look at your tracker bracelet. You could send out an sos. You raise it to your lips to press the button but stop yourself. This would just keep happening though. Everyone keeps being threatened and hurt, and you were at the center of most of it. Then again, if Claw gets your quirk, that would be a bigger problem for everyone.  
You rest your head back against the bars. 'I would rather die… Everyone would be happier without me. They'll be fine.' The thoughts start to gather around your mind. 'I'm just a nuisance. Weighing everyone down. I should disappear. I'll just hurt them in the end. They'll all be happier. Like mama.' Tears start to glow from your eyes. 'The love was never real anyway. They'll realize that soon enough, and I'll be alone anyway. So let's just die already.'

*×*×*×*×*

"Welcome Midnight to Claw Base X." They're greeted into the facility. "We were surprised when you contacted us. Is the subject in there?" The woman peeks into the metal locker. Death pulled behind him.  
"Yes, the valuable quirk that I promised." Midnight rumbles. "Is there a room where we can store him? I want a tour before the extraction."   
"Of course, right this way." The woman chimes, leading them to a room. Death moves the locker inside as Midnight makes small talk with the woman. Death glances back briefly, slipping a key inside it.  
"Don't die kiddo." He breathes before walking back to join Midnight, following along as the woman takes the lead. He peers at Midnight as the villain gives him a few signals.  
'We have twenty minutes before Oikawa makes a move.' Was basically what Midnight was silently telling him. Death gives a small nod before looking ahead again. He was worried though, Rakurai isn't responding anymore. Had he already been discovered?

*-*-*-*

"Here we are." The cage is put down and the cover removed. Rakurai sits up, blinking and looking about, eyes widening slightly.   
"A Claw facility…" He breathes. As you're both jabbed out of the cave and toward the building across the courtyard.  
"That's right. Now let's get those quirks ripped out of you." The woman hums.  
"Nina… Where's Herk?" A big man questions, coming out of the nearby building. There's a pause as you observe the man.  
"Oh. He looks a lot like that fat headed bastard I just blasted." You chuckle, making them all look at you. Rakurai shifts, giving you an intense look.  
"Shut up." He whispers.  
"What did that bitch just say?" The man points at you.  
"C-Calm down Kirk." Nina says quickly.  
"I killed him. Your brother right? Man you two must've been such ugly kids." You snicker, receiving a chilling glare in response. The man moves toward you but six large black chains leave the holes in Rakurai's back.  
"Stay back." Rakurai warns him dangerously. A dart flies into his neck then and he clicks his tongue, chains knocking them all back with a flicker of lightning lashing out of them before Rakurai falls over.  
'Sorry Rakurai.' You think, facing Kirk as he gets back to his feet, glaring wildly at you. "What's wrong? Something happened?" You smirk. "Aww are you missing your brother?"  
"I'm going to pulverize you." He breathes, muscles bulging.   
'So glad you're making this easy for me.' You let out a breath before grinning. "Uh oh. Tiny's mad." You sneer. "Hopefully you punch harder than him cause it's going to take quite a bit to kill me." He launches at you and you stay put letting his fist slam into your gut, sending you flying back, hitting the cage, feeling a few cracks from your ribs. Pain shooting up and down your body.  
"How was that? Not so noisy now are ya?" He rumbles, walking up.  
"Not enough." You cough, raising your chin to bare your teeth at him "Such a fucking disappointment like your brother." You chuckle. His foot slams into your side at that, sending you tumbling away again, the concrete scraping your skin all over. More ribs were broken, but it didn't heal like it was going to kill you. Blood comes to your mouth, and you open your mouth to let it pour out as you get to your feet again. Well, guess something got punctured there. Your whole body was aching now so it was hard to tell what.  
"You're a tough little bitch. But that's fine. I'm not done with ya!" He charges you fist connecting with your chest and punching you through a wall. People dressed in lab coats scatter away in a panic at that. More blood coming up your throat, some leaving your nose. It was getting hard to breathe now. "Sorry about that." Kirk waves at the workers, grabbing you and tossing you back into the courtyard.   
Blood flows from your mouth as you force yourself up to your knees, facing him. Shallow breaths spewing out blood with each heave. 'This is it.' You think as he walks toward you.  
"Any last words?" He smirks, popping his knuckles.  
"Sorry, Tendo…" You whisper, bringing up the middle finger of your left hand in response.  
"Cheeky until the end. Dumb bitch." He raises his fists.   
"Kirk!" Someone shouts from the hole as a flash of blue slices through his wrists, fists falling away as he brings down his arms, blood spewing out as someone flips over his head and lands between you two. Your eyes widen as blood splatters the titanium suit. A growl leaves Midnight before he plunges his blades into Kirk's chest, slashing sideways with both and ripping his chest open.   
Kirk staggers back, shock evident on his face as his eyes become unfocused, falling back into a heap on the ground. You shiver, looking at Midnight's back as he straightens up. For the first time, you felt fear from his presence sensing an intense aura leaving him.  
"Kobalt. It's time." The computer voice hisses, making you stiffen. Midnight peers back at you as black water rushes from the hole in the water, sweeping up a group of villains that had come rushing out from another villain. "I knew something was off… Yet I didn't expect you to be here." Midnight turns to you and touches your cheek. Your injuries soon vanish along with the pain that had come with them.  
"Midnight…" You breathe.   
"Let's get you out of these restraints so you can do what you want. I'm a bit busy right now, so it's probably best if you leave this area." He says, touching the mitt and making the lock click open. You blink as the mitt falls off. You weren't sure how you felt about this. "You don't need to die for Claw to be stopped." He stands up and turns away as a glowing water disperses the black water, turning it into soil. You blink at his words and look up at his back again. "I'll handle this. Just get out of here."   
"Midnight. You're making a real mess. I thought you wanted to partner with us." Glow hums, spreading their arms. "Why are you getting in the way of our most expensive quirk?"   
"Expensive quirk?... Don't overlook ___ so easily." Midnight rumbles suddenly charging Glow. You blink and get up at that, moving after him. Two villains raise their guns at him and you spin around him, right hand swiping out and bursting the guns. Midnight's blades burst at Glow but they swiftly dodge, sending glow water at Midnight but you burst it. Midnight puts an arm around your waist, suddenly leaping back as a cluster of spikes burst out of the ground between you two and Glow.   
You blink, arm swiping out and destroying all of them. Midnight uses the cloud of particles to send out one of his blades again. It comes back with blood dripping off of it. The particles clear up as one of the other villain's collapses, blood pouring from their throat.  
"Where did you go Glow?" Midnight breathes as more villains pour out of the building.  
"So many…" You frown as spikes suddenly fly at you both.   
"You scared?" Midnight teases. "Didn't you take on an army of ghosts?"  
"You need to stop spying. It's creepy how much you know Midnight." You huff, bursting the spikes.  
"But if I hadn't done that, we wouldn't be fighting together here now." He reminds you. You look at his eyeshield as he turns his head to you.   
"... Don't slack now Midnight. We're surrounded." You smile.   
"Right. We'll talk after we clear the yard." He rumbles suddenly turning and stepping behind you, slashing out with his blades, one shooting out and decapitating a villain while one of his other blades deflect some fiery arrows. Your right hand raises to disperse a glowing water blob that launches over the villains at you two.  
Blackwater crashes into another group to your left and lightning flashes out on your left as Rakurai wakes up, black chains swinging about wildly, letting off bolts of lightning. Midnight puts a blade in your left hand and you feel his back press against yours briefly before you rush forward, jumping up and kicking a villain in the face, spinning about to burst some rocks that flew at you. You land, right arm swiping out and removing the ground beneath a lot of them, making most stagger and others fall, giving Midnight the opening to jump over them, turning about as his blades zip about slashing the enemies in a horrifyingly quick fashion. You stay down, fearing for your head.   
'He's… Scary… But really cool too.' You think and pause, feeling a tingle on your back and swiftly roll out of the way as a villain swings an axe down on the spot where you had been. He pauses, paling as you frown at him, touching the axe and making it burst. You jump to your feet, swinging your leg, foot meeting his face and making him fall back.   
Someone rushes your side but a bluish blade slashes his eyes, making him cry out and hold his face. "You're slacking, hero!" Midnight calls. You pause and scowl, throwing your knife past him and into a villain's hand as they move to attack him.  
"Shut up. You'd be having a hard time if you weren't trying to kill them." You retort with a huff.  
"Ya can blast 'em ____ we won't tell no one." Death calls as you dodge another villain, punching them in the face before slamming them into the ground.  
"You stay outta this Death! I have morals!" You shout back.  
"Just feed those to the dogs and let's have fun!" Rakurai cheers from atop a burning heap of corpses.  
"See! Rakurai's having fun." Death points.  
"He's a mental case! Don't ever compare me to someone that's addicted to electricity!" You snap.   
"These bastards aren't even taking us seriously! Kill them Glow!" One snaps.  
"Okay!" Glow chimes, sending out a giant wave of glowing water, sweeping through some of the remaining villains and turning them to soil. You shiver, blinking at it. They really didn't care who got killed by it. You frown heavily and rush forward. Destroy it. Destroy it. Destroy them.   
A tingle comes over your right arm and you stomp your foot down, swinging out broadly, bursting the wave completely. Glow freezes at that, starting to shake. "No! Stop that! I'm the strongest!" Glow snaps. Death and Midnight rush past you at the villain that is now having a tantrum Death's black water makes an orb around them, but the glow water turns it to soil as Midnight leaps into it.   
You tense, moving forward as some concern for him grips your heart, but you stop as the soil falls away and Glow's head topples from their shoulders, body turning into soil as it falls. The surviving villains make their escape then and you relax, falling to your knees in relief.   
"Heh, you looked worried about my boss for a moment there, you okay?" Rakurai chuckles, coming over and offering his hand as the other two start over. You blink up at him before frowning and standing, left hand coming across his face and making him stiffen while the other two freeze.  
"How dare you take advantage of my adoration for Oikawa." You huff. He shakes slightly, fists clenching as his eyes narrow, gritting his teeth.   
"You're incredible. Please hit me again." He hisses out. You blink and take a big step back at that, making Midnight bust out laughing at the expression that you had on your face. Death straightens, starting to slow clap.  
"Well… That's one way to express yourself lad…"   
"___'s face!" Midnight gasps still laughing. Rakurai steps toward you, eyes glittering slightly.  
"Please? One more?" He smiles.  
"No." You raise your eyebrows shaking your head.  
"I'll do it." A familiar voice hums just before Rakurai is punched in the nose. You blink and gasp in surprise as Oikawa holds up his fist with an enraged smile on his lips. "Saying such weird things to my kohai while sharing the same face as me. I should scar you." He snarls.  
"... Why is he out?" Rakurai backs up, looking to Midnight.  
"Well it was just me and Boss, so we gave him the key so he can help too." Death hums.  
"Worked out well too, there were a lot more of them than that. But Oikawa handled them." Midnight gives him a thumbs up.  
"Don't make it sound like I teamed up with you bastards!" Oikawa snaps. You hug him happily and he pauses, looking down at you.  
"I'm so glad you're safe." You whisper. He blinks and relaxes, kissing your forehead.   
"Listen up Midnight, I contacted the hero headquarters. They'll be here soon. Take that warning as thanks for saving ___.” He tells the villain before pointing at Rakurai. "Watch your back."   
"Fine fine." Rakurai sticks his tongue out at his doppelganger before going to join Death and Midnight. The leader pauses, looking back at you as the other two hurry away.  
"___. Do you feel better now?" Midnight asks, making you pause. You weren't sure, but you felt you knew what exactly he was asking.  
"Yeah. I do." You relax and give a smile. "Thanks for the save. You'd make a good hero for a monster."   
"Eh. Too troublesome." He shrugs before moving after his companions. Oikawa sighs at that, turning and hugging you tightly.   
"I'm sorry. I could've been the one to save you. But… When I saw you like that I just felt scared and lost…" He whispers. "You really were trying to get yourself killed weren't you?"  
"I didn't think help was coming. And I would rather die than let them get my quirk." You breathe. He frowns, squeezing you tighter to him.  
"I understand… But next time give me a bit more time to do something okay?" He rubs your back. "I don't ever want to lose you."   
"Okay. I'll try…" You smile softly, tears pricking your eyes. He pulls back and cups your face.   
"I have missed your cute face so much." He gasps.  
"Heh… I would say that… But…" You chuckle sheepishly.   
"... I should've punched him again." Oikawa growls in annoyance. "And why does he get the blue eyes that I've always wanted!?"   
"The blue is nice." You nod and he huffs in agreement. You smile and touch his cheeks. "But they still don't compare to yours when the light shines against them." You breathe. He blinks at you, cheeks starting to bloom with a blush. "So honestly. The original Oikawa- all of him. Is the best one."   
"... I love you." He breathes smiling warmly. You chuckle at that and give him a kiss, pulling away as the sirens of police cars sound in the distance. "Oh. We probably should've ran…"   
"But we didn't do anything wrong…" You frown.  
"Yeah but…" He looks around at the bodies. "We got a lot of explaining to do…"  
"... Ah well. I got Oikawa back so this will be fine."  
"... Stop making me blush. That's backwards."  
"Heh… I've missed you so much…"


	45. So Cute

"___! Oikawa!" Nishinoya cheers as everyone rushes out of the dorm to hug both of you as you walk up to the dorms just as dawn breaks.  
"We're back!" You laugh hugging him.   
"What the hell happened!?" Iwaizumi huffs coming through the group.   
"Iwa-chan!" Oikawa gasps and hugs him. Iwaizumi instinctively returns the hug, before pausing and pulling back with a glare.  
"What the hell were you doing? Getting switched with an imposter!" He snaps.   
"I didn't want that to happen! I got knocked out!" Oikawa shoots back. You blink between them and smile, chuckling lightly.  
"That's so much better…" You breathe, hugging them both. "I'm so glad you're okay Iwa-chan." You murmur, kissing his cheek.  
"That's thanks to you." He whispers, hugging you back. Your eyes narrow briefly before closing. Just like this. With everyone there together safe and sound. You wanted to stay just like this.   
"Alright. First things first… Apparently we might have some cameras and bugs hidden around the dorm. So let's hunt them down and destroy them." You say looking up at the building.  
"I have just the thing." Akaashi comments nodding to himself as he goes inside. You smile after him relaxing a bit.  
"Are you hurt? You're covered in blood…" Kiyoomi looks at your clothes uneasily.  
"Um… I'll explain everything after we clear the dorm of suspicious things." You tell him.   
"Oh cool we're finally getting rid of the cactus." Atsumu sighs in relief. You and Kiyoomi look at him at that.  
"... Leave my plushie alone Atsumu." You chuckle lightly.  
"Then tell it to stay out of my bathroom." He retorts.   
"Nehehe." You snicker looking away and bumping knuckles with Osamu. Akaashi soon waves everyone inside, everyone gathering in the living room as he turns on a little machine.   
"This should show the location of any bugs or cameras." He breathes as a blueprint shows up on the screen, red spots showing up. "There we go." He hums. Everyone else separates to get the devices, you sit with Akaashi, leaning on him as you both watch the screen.  
"You're really amazing." You murmur.  
"It's nothing." He shakes his head. "You look like you've been through hell since this morning."  
"Yeah I should clean up…" You tug your stiff shirt and pause, peering at his ever calm face. "Wanna help?" You ask quietly. He blinks a few times, pink slowly spreading across his face.   
"... I'll call Bokuto." He whispers the warning, not looking away from the screen.  
"I was just kidding. Wanted to see you make a face." You say carefully, getting up. He shakes his head and gets up as well. You pause as he leans near your ear.   
"Pick your fights better ___. We both know you couldn't handle that." He whispers against your ear. You blush heavily and he peeks at your face. "I was kidding. Just wanted to see you make a face." He smiles lightly.   
"... Lucifer…" You whisper moving away.   
"Payback." He hums watching you go for the door.   
"I apologise for that." You tell him. "I'll definitely restrain myself next time." You add before rushing upstairs. Akaashi sits back down and covers his now red face with a sigh.   
"... Why do you only do that to me?"   
You move to go upstairs to the second floor, pausing as Kuroo comes down from the third floor. He freezes, hugging the cat plushie tightly as he looks at your clothes horror.  
"I-Im okay. This isn't what it looks like!" You tell him quickly.  
"What happened to you?" He whispers, hiding behind the cat and moving back up the stairs.  
"I uh… Got into trouble. But I'm okay now. Promise." You assure, holding up your hands to him.   
"... Are you hurt?" He steps toward you worriedly, looking you over.  
"I was. But I'm okay now. I'm going to clean up so… Don't worry about me." You tell him going toward your room carefully.  
"O-okay…" He murmurs. You offer a smile before hurrying to your room, crashing into Ushijima who was carrying out a handful of bugs and small cameras.  
"Sorry." You both tell each other.   
"Are you okay?" He inquires.  
"Yeah. I just… Kinda traumatized poor Kuroo… I'm going to shower so… Thanks for clearing out the room of those." You tell him, moving to pick out clothes.  
"No problem. It's a bit alarming they could place so many without us knowing." He says.  
"Yeah. Put them all in a bag. I'll burst them once we have all of them." You tell him before going into your bathroom and taking a shower.   
Once you're clean and dressed you go back downstairs, meeting everyone else in the living room. "Alright dorm's clean now." Akaashi informs you, holding up a sack. You take off your glove and burst it before sitting beside him.  
"Okay… So here's the rundown of my little… Outing." You start and tell them about what had happened.  
"God… Damn Claw…" Atsumu sighs rubbing his face. "But that facility is gone now. Along with that person with that glow water quirk."   
"I'm going to mark that down as a win." Oikawa folds his arms. "And I don't know if it was something they wanted me to hear or not but… Midnight did say something about taking a break after taking out the facility."   
"Sounds like a trick." Atsumu deadpans.  
"Might be true." You shrug. "Midnight does take a break often. I don't know why but I think he was satisfied after killing Glow. So he'll probably lay low for a bit."   
"Well… I feel reassured if that's what ___ believes." Bokuto says nodding. "All that's left is Kuroo's memories."  
"We'll get them tomorrow." You breathe, looking at Kuroo and touching his shoulder. He blinks at you and nods, hugging the cat plushie closer.  
"Tomorrow…" He murmurs.  
"Alright. I'll make some breakfast then." Osamu decides sitting up.  
"Yesss. I'm so hungry and your food sounds perfect right now." Oikawa gasps. Osamu blinks before giving a toothy smile.   
"I got you covered." He chuckles heading into the kitchen.  
"He seems really happy to make breakfast this morning." Oikawa comments.  
"Ah well… While playing as you, Rakurai said he didn't like Osamu's cooking." You tell him, receiving a shocked look. "And it… Really bothered Osamu."   
"I wish I had broken his nose." Oikawa growls, going to the kitchen and hugging Osamu, surprising the fox. "You're the best cook and that guy was a psycho." Oikawa tells him. You chuckle a bit watching them before yawning.  
"I've been up all night so I think I'll nap." You murmur.   
"I was going to nap too…" Kuroo murmurs getting up. You blink at him, becoming thoughtful.   
"You want to nap with me? It'll probably be just us today since everyone else has class." You hum.  
"Which you're missing a lot of." Kiyoomi says. "If you fail the exam you can't participate in the Rescue Tournament."   
"Ah… I'll study after we get his memories." You clasp your hands together.  
"Don't worry too much Kiyoomi. If I can pass it ___ definitely can." Bokuto chuckles.  
"Don't be like that Bokuto. You're very clever." You send him a frown.   
"Heh. You think so?" He smiles lightly before kissing your cheek. "Thanks babe."   
"Of course. I have complete trust in you." You smile. He blinks and grins, suddenly hugging you tightly.  
"Aww! I want to nap with you now too!" He chimes.   
"No. Go to class." Daichi tells him.  
"Fine fine." Bokuto kisses your cheek and lets you lead Kuroo up to your room.   
"We can pull the beds apart if you don't want to be near me." You tell him yawning again.   
"I don't mind…" He murmurs, looking at the cactus and snake plushies sitting on your dresser.   
"Hm? You want them on the bed too?" You ask. He glances at you and nods quietly. A small smile comes to your lips and you move them to your bed as he crawls in. 'This is super cute.' You think as he cuddles up to the snake. You take out your phone and snap a quick picture before crawling in as well. "Sleep well Kuroo." You breathe.   
"You too…" He says quietly as you swiftly drift off. He nuzzles the cat plushie, watching you for a bit before drifting off as well.

You stretch with a hum, peering at Kuroo as he pauses what he's doing to peek at you. "Whatcha doin?" You ask, sitting up and rubbing your eye, pausing as you find half of the bed covered in pictures.  
"Looking at these again… Sorry… I would've taken them to my room but… I didn't want to be alone." He murmurs.   
"That's okay. Can I look with you?" You ask, scooting closer. He hums, giving a small nod. You both look over the various pictures of Kuroo and Kenma, most of them as kids. "Aww you're such a little cutie in these." You chuckle thoughtfully. He smiles a bit at that.  
"There's so many. But I don't remember any of it…" He breathes. "I know there's something important missing, but I get a headache when I try to remember it…"   
"Don't force it." You touch his shoulder. "We'll get them back Kuroo… I'm sorry for making you wait another day." You frown guilty. He blinks at you in surprise before quickly shaking his head.  
"No. That's not your fault. You almost didn't come back. And you looked very tired." He reminds you. "I don't mind waiting for you." He adds looking back down with a small smile.  
"You're so sweet Kuroo." You murmur with a small chuckle, relaxing a bit. He blinks and peers at you quietly.  
"You're sweet." He says, touching the cat plushie. "I'm just returning it…"  
"Nah. You're always sweet." You hum. He pauses and looks at you curiously now.  
"I am?" He tilts his head.  
"Yeah. You're… like the big brother here. You watch out for everyone and make sure they're alright." You smile. "And if they're down you usually help them feel better. You're really goofy when you and Bokuto are together and it's really cute." You chuckle a bit looking at the ceiling. "And when there's trouble you're always so calm. So strong too…"  
Kuroo watches you for a bit before smiling and looking at the pictures again. "Do we have pictures together too?" He inquires.  
"Yeah. Check it out, everyone has their own folder and I have ten with you so far. I lost some because I didn't upload my pictures at the camp and lost them when our phones got destroyed." You tell him, pulling up the pictures with him.   
He goes through them with a small smile, tilting his. "I wonder if I have any of you…" He murmurs, getting up. "I'll get the phone." He decides going out. You smile and gather up the pictures, pausing as you pick up one with a hero in it, a small Kuroo and Kenma smiling with him. You blink a few times, looking closer at the picture. The hero's smile was really familiar.  
"... Dad…?" You whisper. You set the picture down blinking at the wall in confusion, trying to remember him. "Shit…" You sigh, rubbing your cheek, nothing coming to you. "I… Can't remember…" You close your eyes.   
"___?" Kuroo asks, coming in and blinking at you. You open your eyes and sit up, giving him a smile. "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah, just… I guess I forgot something important myself." You shrug, setting the picture down. "You find your phone?"  
"Yes… I do have pictures of you." He sits with you. "Says there's thirty."   
"Really? Are you sure you want me to see them?" You ask lightly.  
"Why not? They're nice pictures?" He replies, blinking at you innocently.  
"Alright let's see." You lean over and he swipes through them. Most have you laughing with the others or being goofy with Nishinoya and the twins. The rest are you with a nice background behind you. But you're not looking at the camera, either staring off or looking to the sky with a smile.   
"I like this one." He breathes, stopping on one with you leaning on a railing looking out as the sunsets. You were blushing a bit, feeling flattered by the collection of sneak pictures he had.   
"Yeah.. That one is really nice." You agree, rubbing your cheek.   
"Hm? Something wrong?"   
"Nope… You're just… Too cute." You cover your face. He tilts his head, watching you in slight confusion. You peek at him with a shy frown and he blinks, pink coming to his cheeks.  
"Ah… Um… Are you hungry?" He asks.   
"Yeah. I should make us some food." You nod getting up and stretching, back popping.   
"... Can I help?" He gets up as well.   
"Of course. You do help me sometimes as well." You chuckle, heading downstairs with him. Some of the others come in during lunch as you and Kuroo make food.  
"Hey Kuroo, ___, how is everything going?" Kenma asks.   
"It's going well. Right Kuroo?" You look over at him as he reaches to put up the seasonings, accidentally making the flour fall over and spill out on him. "Oh no." You cover your mouth to keep from chuckling as he quickly fixes the flour.   
"... I'm sorry…" He looks down at the floor.  
"That's okay," You go over, and wipe off his face. "It happens. I'm just glad the whole thing didn't fall on your head."  
"That's a mess…" Osamu blinks, coming into the kitchen. "But I'll clean that up, go get him cleaned up." He adds when you look over.  
"Thanks Osamu." You send him a smile before taking Kuroo upstairs to help him get cleaned up.   
"It's everywhere." He grumbles, taking off his shirt. You pause and shift, looking over his back briefly before looking away as you go over and help him clean off his face.   
"Heh, you're going to have to shower now. There's so much in your hair." You chuckle trying to comb most of it out with your fingers. He blushes lightly and starts to laugh.  
"That feels weird." He rumbles lightly. You smile at him in amusement, wiping off his cheeks again. He pauses meeting your gaze. "You have very pretty eyes." He whispers.  
"Thanks. You have nice eyes too. And your smile is one of my favorites." You whisper back.   
"Really?" He chuckles sheepishly.  
"Really. Now go shower and then come eat." You nudge him toward the bathroom before returning downstairs.   
"He's really relaxed now." Kenma comments when you return to the kitchen. "Thanks for that."  
"No problem… It's kinda sad that I'm getting so good at this." You sigh.   
"I'm amazed by you for it… If you hadn't handled the others so well I would've felt helpless when Kuroo forgot me…" He admits looking down.   
"Yeah. It hurt like hell with Kiyoomi so I understand. But don't worry. We know what needs to be done now." You put a hand on his shoulder.   
"Right." He offers a small smile and nods.  
"___ I covered up your food, don't forget to eat." Osamu tells you, kissing your temple.  
"I won't. I'm waiting on Kuroo to come back down." You assure with a chuckle. He nods and rubs your back before handing Kenma a plate and grabbing his own.   
"Come on Kenma, we need to eat now or we'll be late." He adds.   
"Right. See you after classes ___." Kenma waves before they go to the dining room.   
Kuroo returns as they finish and gives Kenma a small smile and wave as they head back to class. "Sorry. Did I take too long?" He frowns softly.  
"No. They just hurried so they wouldn't be late." You respond grabbing both of the plates before heading to the dining room to sit and eat.  
"It feels weird when everyone's gone…" He comments glancing around.   
"Doesn't it? Feels more at home when everyone's together." You smile a bit as you focus on eating.   
"It does?" He blinks at you.  
"Mhm, home is where the heart is after all." You breathe, sending him a wink.   
"I see." He smiles softly.   
After you get done eating you decide to watch a movie with him, the others returning as it ends, some gathering up in your room.   
"So listen to this." Atsumu says, patting your knees excitedly to get your attention. "I heard the second-years talking about sending us on another trip. Just us first years though." He smiles.   
"Where to?" Akaashi inquires.  
"Dunno. But it might be the beach this time!" Atsumu grins excitedly.  
"... Oh…" You nod. You didn't mind the idea but that would mean all of them would be shirtless most of the time and that thought was enough to kill you.   
"Are you okay ___?" Kuroo touches your back as you sway slightly.  
"The beach sounds hot…" You murmur.   
"Well we don't know what it is yet." Atsumu reminds you. "I was just hoping for the beach."  
"We won't have to sleep outside…" Kiyoomi whispers.   
"If they go the beach route then we'll probably end up in a hotel." Kenma smiles a bit.  
"You two really didn't like camping…" Akaashi comments.  
"Nope." They hum shaking their heads.  
"Hey! Hey! Hey! What's going on here? You guys having a meeting?" Bokuto steps in with a curious head tilt.  
"No, just chatting." Osamu tells him. You smile, opening your arms out to Bokuto. He blinks and grins, taking his chibi form to fly into your arms and cuddle you.  
"I missed you my love!" He chimes, receiving glares.  
"He shrunk…" Kuroo whispers in awe.   
"Yep! It's a new discovery I made about my quirk! And it's all thanks to ___!" Bokuto tells him, cuddling your cheek.  
"Only because you wanted to cuddle up to me." You chuckle. Kuroo watches for a moment before shifting.  
"Can I hold him?" He asks quietly. You and Bokuto blink at him in surprise before Bokuto grins opening his arms to Kuroo.  
"Of course bro!" He chimes as Kuroo gingerly takes him and holds him, Bokuto hugging his neck with a chuckle.   
"Heh… How cute." Kuroo chuckles lightly. You blink a few times before burying your face in Akaashi's shoulder.   
"Yeah… How cute…" You agree, internally gushing over them.   
"Alright Kuroo, here's your plushie. Let go of Bokuto before ___ can't handle the cuteness." Atsumu chuckles, passing him the cat.   
"Awww, babe's so cute." Bokuto chuckles going behind you and changing into his original form, pulling you onto his lap and cuddling you. Kuroo chuckles, watching you smile and cuddle him back.   
"Alright. Enough of the gross stuff. It's studying time." Kiyoomi states.  
"Awww…"  
"Fine. Don't study. It'll be easier for me to become number one then."   
"... Alright let's study and prove him wrong." Atsumu growls.  
"Right." 

You chuckle as you look up from your textbook, finding the others had fallen asleep. You get out of Bokuto's arms, laying him back before covering him up and clearing off the study materials from the bed before moving to Atsumu, touching him to pick him up and pausing as he unconsciously takes his fox form in response. You smile and stand up, moving him between Bokuto and Kuroo. You then move to get Osamu who does the same thing. A chuckle escapes you as you move him next to his twin and go to pick up Kenma and take him to his room, putting him down and covering him up.  
You return to your room for Akaashi and pause as you find Ushijima standing in the room looking a bit lost. "Ah…" You breathe, making him look over. "Bokuto's and Kuroo's beds are free. So take your pick."   
"I see…" He nods. "I miss sharing the bed with you though…" He admits quietly.   
"Soon Wakatoshi." You smile, patting his shoulder.  
"... Do you want a hug?" He inquires.   
"Of course." You whisper, hugging him warmly. He returns the hug, nuzzling your shoulder quietly. Soon you pull apart and he goes out to find an open bed. You smile and go over to Akaashi, crouching beside him. 'So handsome when he's asleep…' You think putting an arm around his shoulders, waking him. You pause as his blue eyes peer into yours sleepily. "Ah… I was uh… Just moving you to your room."   
"Mmm… Thank you." He leans on you, starting to get up. You help him to his feet and move toward the door with him. He peers at your bed as you both go out and to his room, going in and to the bed.  
"There you go. Sleep well-" You move to go out but he grabs your wrist, pulling you down onto the bed.   
"Your bed's packed… Sleep here tonight." He whispers when you blush and look at him. He meets your gaze sleepily, pulling you closer and nuzzling your temple. "Just for tonight." He breathes.  
"Ah… O-okay…" You manage getting comfortable. "G-Goodnight Akaashi."   
"Goodnight ___….”


	46. Possibilities

'I'm going to die. Someone please save me.' You think as the arms around you tighten, handsome face nuzzling your cheek. You didn't dare move, blushing heavily, listening to his breathing. Phone, you could message for help. No, that was on your nightstand. You'll just have to free yourself then. You tilt your head away but that makes him move even closer, nuzzling your neck instead. You shiver slightly, touching his arms to move them off but they tighten around you.   
'... There's no escape… I'm going to die here…' You think frowning briefly. 'Well, if this is how I'm going then might as well…' You shift and turn to him, cuddling him warmly, closing your eyes in bliss. He wakes up now, blinking sleepily before his eyes start to widen slowly, pink capturing his face. He closes his eyes to calm his blush before pulling away slightly, making your eyes open.  
"... Why are you in my bed..?" He asks quietly.  
"Because you pulled me into it and wouldn't let go." You blink at him before pulling him closer, making him stiffen slightly. "Then when I woke up just now, you still didn't let me go, and I really did try to escape."   
"... I apologise for the inconvenience then." He says. It felt like he was trying to pull away again so you bring him even closer.  
"It's too late for apologies, now you gotta cuddle me." You inform. He pauses before holding you tightly against his chest, meeting your gaze calmly.  
"As you wish." He murmurs. You stare into each other's eyes for a few moments before you turn red and turn away to cover your face. He sighs silently at that, putting a hand over his face briefly. "Okay. Let's get the day started… You're getting Kuroo's memories back today right?"   
"Right." You nod sitting up. He peers up at you before sitting up.  
"Then I'd like to name my price now. If that's okay?" He murmurs. You blink at him and nod, becoming curious.  
"Of course." You smile a bit.  
"Then if today goes as planned. I want you to go somewhere with me tomorrow. But no one else gets to know about it." He frowns now. "I mean it. I don't want them interfering." He tells you seriously, leaning forward.  
"O-okay. I understand." You manage, blushing a bit from the proximity of his face.  
"Do you?" He leans even closer, eyes narrowing. You blush more, nodding quickly in response. He blinks at your face before smirking slightly. "What's wrong?" He inquires.  
"N-Nothing. Why would anything be wrong?" You respond looking to the side. He hums leaning closer so his nose brushes your cheek.  
"In that case. Good morning ___." He whispers before pecking your cheek and getting out of bed. You touch your cheek as he walks into his bathroom and closes the door.   
"Nsfjdjd…" You mutter before going to your room, pausing as you look to the bed finding the guy's all cuddled up. You gush quietly, swiftly going to grab your phone from the nightstand and getting a few pictures before Osamu stirs and wakes up with a yawn, fox ears flickering a bit. He blinks sleepily at you before peering around and pausing, swiftly hopping off the bed and changing back.   
"Aww… Samu…" You snicker quietly making him blush lightly.   
"Shush." He huffs pecking your cheek. "Good morning." He adds pulling you in for a hug.  
"Good morning. You guys look like you slept great." You comment. He pauses before starting to tickle in retort. "Bahaha! Nu!" You laugh pulling away.  
"You done teasing now?" He chuckles quietly.  
"Y-Yeah! I wasn't teasing though it was an observation!" You snicker.  
"Sounded like you were teasing. Lil troublemaker." He rumbles pecking your cheek.   
"Sorry sorry." You breathe as his forehead pressed against yours. His eyes lock with yours and he cups your cheek.  
"You sleep well?" He asks.  
"Mhm. I got Akaashi cuddles." You whisper.  
"That's rare." He raises an eyebrow.  
"Right? Guess he's cuddly when he's tired." You hum.   
"Oi. Get off." Atsumu pushes his brother away before hugging you warmly. "What's up with that? Hogging ___ first thing in the morning…" He grumbles.  
"I was just enjoying some time with ___ since it's Kuroo's day." Osamu sticks out his tongue. "I'll make breakfast." He touches your back as he heads out.  
"Can I come?" Atsumu asks you.  
"No. We discovered last night that you can't afford to miss class." You remind him.  
"You missed more classes than me, how do you know more?" He scoffs.  
"Kiyoomi is a great note taker." You smirk.   
"Tch. Damn cactus." He grumbles. "I'm going to help Samu. Be down soon." He tells you before heading out. He soon comes back in and gives you a kiss before going back out. You chuckle a bit before crawling in between Bokuto and Kuroo, settling in. Bokuto hums, cuddling you instantly, kissing your cheek in his sleep before nuzzling your neck.   
Kuroo shifts closer, hugging your arm. You blink at him, fingers running through his hair softly. "Time to wake up guys." You tell them lightly. Kuroo stirs at that, eyes easing open. "Good morning." You smile. He blinks before pausing and releasing you with a small blush.  
"Sorry." He manages.  
"That's okay." You chuckle while Bokuto nuzzles your cheek.   
"Mornin…" Bokuto murmurs, kissing your cheek.   
"Good morning. You two sleep well?" You ask.   
"Yeah." Bokuto nuzzles your shoulder. "Though you weren't here…" He grumbles.  
"I slept good… But where did those cute foxes go?" Kuroo sits up looking about. You and Bokuto look at him before exchanging a glance.  
"They got hungry so they went to get food." You inform.  
"Yess. Samu food!" Bokuto gasps, getting out of bed then and heading out quickly. You chuckle and get out of bed, passing Kuroo the cat plushie before going to his side as he gets out of bed with a stagger.   
"After breakfast we'll change and head out." You tell him. He hesitates at that and you pause, looking back at him.  
"... Thank you." He tells you.  
"Huh? What for? This is what friends do." You blink in confusion. He shifts closer hugging the cat plushie, taking your hand.  
"I know… Thank you for being my friend." He murmurs looking down with a blush.  
"You know. I didn't think you could get cuter. But then you did that and now I fear your power." You chuckle. He looks at you confused now. "Let's just go eat." You shake your head, leading him downstairs.  
"Good morning." Kenma greets you both when you reach the dining room.  
"Good morning." You both return the greeting before sitting down.  
"Are you excited, Kuroo?" Oikawa asks.  
"... Not really…" He murmurs looking down. "I think I'm nervous…"   
"Eh? Why? Don't you want to remember?" Oikawa tilts his head.  
"Of course… But what if these places don't do anything? What will I do then?" Kuroo asks.  
"We'll figure something out Kuroo. Don't worry about the possibilities. Just focus on what you can do now.. Which is to eat." You smile rubbing his back. He blinks at you before nodding slightly.  
"Okay." He breathes.  
"That's my babe." Bokuto grins cheerfully.  
"___ isn't yours. Selfish owl." Atsumu growls.  
"Jealous." Bokuto chuckles.  
After breakfast you go upstairs and change before leaving your room to head back down, pausing when you find Kiyoomi waiting in the hall.   
"You have your new K.K?" He inquires. You nod and hold it up. "What about your phone and sos bracelet?" You hold them up as well.  
"I really worried you last time huh?" You guess.  
"Of course… I feel like you were holding back the truth too. So I'm still worried." He says, glancing over to make sure no one was coming upstairs. You shift at that, looking down at your right hand.  
"You're right. I was holding back. But I didn't want to upset anyone. And I'm feeling a lot better now." You admit quietly, rubbing your right hand. "My mind is clear again."  
"Why didn't you say anything?" He asks softly. You frown and look to the side. He steps closer to you, tipping your chin to meet his sad gaze. "I know how those thoughts work. You can't listen to them ___, they lie. You are loved. Next time please talk to me." He cups your cheek, forehead pressing to yours. "Please…" He whispers in a tone that makes you tear up.  
"Okay… I'm sorry Kiyoomi…" You sniff.   
"I'm so glad you're still here." He takes off his mask before hugging you close and kissing you. "Don't forget that."  
"Okay…" You nod.  
"___! We're ready!" Bokuto calls up and you both separate at that.  
"I'll be back later, see you." You move toward the stairs.  
"___.” Kiyoomi says after you, making you stop and look back. "I…" He trails off unable to finish. You blink at him, feeling like you had heard his thoughts.  
"Yeah. You too." You smile before heading downstairs. Kiyoomi sighs, turning red and bumping his forehead on the wall.  
"... Ow…"  
You reach the lobby, meeting the other three before Kenma leads the way out. Kuroo instinctively takes your hand, peering about uneasily.  
"You haven't been outside yet have you?" You guess.   
"Will we be attacked?" He asks carefully.  
"Ah… Well. If we are, Bokuto and I will definitely protect you." You assure with a smile. "Actually, seeing a hero like Bokuto fight is really awesome. You'll be like 'whoa'! Or 'so cool'!"   
"Really?" He blinks at you while Bokuto chuckles lightly.  
"Actually, ___ is way cooler in a fight." Bokuto chuckles. "The quirk is scary but… When ___ uses it, it's really amazing to watch." He smiles at the ground thoughtfully.  
"Though destroying a mountain was terrifying." Kenma states. "But thanks to that some of us are a bit richer."  
"... What?" You and Bokuto blink at him at that.  
"Me and the twins grabbed some gems that survived." He shrugs.   
"I had no idea." You murmur, "And I share a room with them."  
"Yeah. You're pretty oblivious to a lot." Kenma comments.  
"... Kenma you're saying some mean things to my love." Bokuto frowns a bit.  
"He's right though. I am oblivious. Haven't been paying enough attention to everyone." You frown as well.  
"Well, it's not surprising when your task list is always full." Kenma tugs on his sleeves in thought. "I'm sure if you had less worries you'd notice a lot more."   
"Yeah you got a point there…" You look at the sky. "Wonder why I can't get a break… Maybe I am just bad luck…"   
"... I'm holding your hand right now and I feel pretty lucky…." Kuroo murmurs and you look at him in surprise.  
"Ah… That's so smooth and sweet at the same time." You blush, putting your free arm over your face.   
"I was just being honest." Kuroo says quietly.   
"Aww you're so cute babe." Bokuto chuckles.  
"Sh-Shush."   
As with Iwaizumi and Oikawa, Kenma takes you to places that he thinks would help jog Kuroo's memories. You start to notice a growing concern on his face as Kuroo tries to focus on each place, only coming up with nothing.  
"There's a few more places. But I'm going to the last now. If it doesn't work then…" Kenma's hands start to shake as he looks at his phone.   
"Don't worry about the possibilities." Kuroo echoes your words and Kenma looks back at him. "Focus on what you can do now." Kuroo gives him a small nod. Kenma's bottom lip trembles before he nods and looks ahead.   
"Right." He manages. You let go of Kuroo's hand and go over, putting around Kenma's neck, making him turn and hug you shakily. Bokuto offers Kuroo his hand for the time being, Kuroo moves the cat plushie to his other arm to take it.  
"Memories come back. Kuroo's coming back." You whisper, hugging him tightly. "All we can do is wait and do what we can."   
"Right… Status effects don't last…" Kenma whispers.   
"Come on. Let's keep going." You breathe.   
"Okay. It's this way." He takes the lead and Bokuto passes you Kuroo's hand as you all keep walking together.   
Soon you come to a suburban area, waking down an unkempt street. "Not a lot of people here…" Bokuto comments.  
"It's always been like this. Apparently it used to be villain territory. When we were kids, Kuroo brought me here to play heroes. And a villain came across us. He didn't like what we were playing and Kuroo got hurt… Then that hero appeared and saved us… I think he's the one that made up Kuroo's mind then." Kenma stops looking at a certain spot.  
"... That hero in the one picture?" You ask carefully.  
"Yes. You saw that picture? It's one of Kuroo's favorites." Kenma smiles slightly. You look to Kuroo as his eyes narrow at the scenery, going from focused to desperate, squeezing the cat plushie slightly.  
"Don't force it, Kuroo. Your mind needs to be open." You touch his shoulder. The ground shakes slightly, and you pause looking over as a giant shadow comes over the group.  
"Get off my territory." The King Kong looking villain rumbles.   
"Ah, could you give us some more time please?" You ask as Kuroo shrinks down in alarm.  
"Get lost or die." He responds, raising a fist. You and Bokuto exchange a glance at that.  
"If it's a fight you want…" Bokuto bursts for his face, talons coming out and slashing at the villain. He staggers back making the earth shudder. You turn to Kuroo with a smile.  
"Don't worry. I'll protect you no matter what. Just stay right here and I'll get you home soon." You breathe, touching his cheek. Kuroo's eyes widen as you turn and rush the villain, something flashing in his brown gaze.  
"... You know… ___ is a lot like that hero." He murmurs, making Kenma pause and look over in shock. "Just said the same thing too. Of course he was a lot more intimidating than ___… Still, that's the kind of strength that makes you want to stop and watch…" Kuroo straightens up, looking down at the cat plushie with a smile before passing it to Kenma. "But that's not what a hero does." He chuckles, taking off his shoes and moving forward as the ape-man raises his massive fist over you, ignoring Bokuto's attacks.   
"___!" Bokuto calls as you get ready to spring away, but a rock fist shoots out of the ground behind you, punching the ape-man in the face and making him fall back into a heap. You and Bokuto blink in shock at that, slowly looking back as the fist recedes back into the ground.  
"Sorry about that. Kinda felt like stealing your thunder there." Kuroo smirks. You pause before running to him, you and Bokuto colliding into him with grins.   
"Kuroo/Broooooo!" You and Bokuto gasp hugging him.   
"I'm back." He chuckles, patting your back. He looks over at Kenma as he joins the hug. "This is nice and all… But we should probably leave that guy's territory before he gets back."   
"Right…"   
So you leave the area and decide to stop at a sushi place on the way back. "Oh right… Thanks for not turning me into a cat." Kuroo hums to you as you grab a plate going by. You freeze at that and Bokuto snaps his fingers.  
"Talk about a missed opportunity." Bokuto sighs.   
"Right? Maybe we can knock him out and do it anyway." You murmur.  
"... I can hear you." Kuroo deadpans while Kenma snickers.  
"I'm sure Sakusa's toxins will come in handy." The blond comments.  
"Oooh good idea." You point at Kenma.  
"I can hear you plotting against me." Kuroo huffs.   
"Nah bro you're hearing things." Bokuto chuckles.  
"I'm sure I'm not." Kuroo frowns.  
"Ah man… I really wish I had thought of that… I mean amnesia Kuroo was already super cute, but if I had turned him into a cat…" You close your eyes to imagine it. "... Nevermind, that turned erratic somehow." You mutter with a blush. Kuroo sighs heavily, covering his red face.  
"I just got back…" He whispers.  
"Babe your imagination took a weird turn." Bokuto comments.  
"You try it then." You respond. He closes his eyes and soon turns red, putting a hand over his face.  
"Why did I do that…" He breathes.  
"See? It's actually a scary combination and I'm glad we forgot to do it." You comment.   
"Can we change the subject now?" Kuroo grumbles.  
"Alright, how about this… Samu sushi is better." You whisper. He pauses blinking at you.  
"I was thinking the same thing." Kuroo responds lightly leaning forward.  
"Why didn't we just wait until we got back to the dorm?" Bokuto murmurs, leaning over too.  
"You're all being rude." Kenma informs.  
"Sorry…"  
After dinner you all start to walk back. Bokuto peeking between you and Kuroo. "Oh! Kenma there's something I want to show you!" He gasps suddenly, scooping up the blond. "We'll see you guys at the dorm!" He adds before bursting off.  
"... Kenma's already not enjoying that." You comment.  
"Nope." Kuroo agrees, before you both look at each other. "Ah… Guess it's just us." He blushes.   
"That's awfully thoughtful of Bokuto." You chuckle, moving on. "Are you scared Kuroo?" You offer your hand. He pauses and takes it, blushing lightly.  
"Of course not. You'll protect me no matter what, right?" He teases making you pause with a blush. "Spoken like a true hero… Actually that's what helped me remember… He said the same thing back then…"   
"Eh? Talk about luck." You huff.  
"I told you so." He smiles peering at your face. You meet his gaze and chuckle lightly.  
"... It was a yes by the way." You tell him. He blinks at you in confusion. "For that question you had back in the house of mirrors." You murmur, making him stop, eyes wide, blushing heavily. "Oh… You changed your mind huh-" His lips crash into yours before you can finish, surprising you before you kiss him back.  
"You… Provoking me all the damn time." He growls with a blush. "I'll make you pay for that one way or another." He warns, tipping your chin.   
"Oh no…" You frown and he pauses.  
"W-What?"  
"I just pictured cat ears on you just now… it's actually cute when you're like this…."  
".... Why am I so attracted to a demon like you!?"


	47. Picture

You stare at the picture, shifting slightly. "Hey ___ is my… There it is… Something wrong?" Kuroo asks, looking at the picture too.   
"Nope. Just wondering where I've seen that hero before." You smile.  
"Actually, it's weird. I never got a name or saw him again after that. I was really lucky to get a picture… I've asked about him too, but no one knew who he was. I would wonder if he was even real if it wasn't for that picture." He sits beside you, looking at it. "Wait… You recognize him?"  
"I'm not sure." You tilt your head before handing him the picture. "I'm going to give Tendo a call. Excuse me." You hum getting up and going out to the rooftop before calling.  
'Hey. What are you up to?' Tendo answers.  
"Um… Just sitting on the roof. What about you?"   
'Look down.' He hums. You pause and do so, finding Tendo holding up flowers. 'I'm starting to think you're telepathic. I was trying to surprise you…' A chuckle escapes you and you hang up before hurrying back inside and down the stairs.   
"Satori!" You cheer, opening the door and glomping him. He pauses before letting out a heavy breath, hugging you tightly.  
"Oh wow… I missed that so much…" He whispers, nuzzling your shoulder. You tear up and hug him just as tightly, face buried in shoulder.   
"Now that's a sight…" Atsumu smiles, peering into the lobby.   
"Welcome back Tendo." Nishinoya chuckles lightly.  
"We've missed you man." Bokuto rumbles. "... Are they glued to each other?" He murmurs to Kuroo.  
"Yeah. They probably are at this point." Kuroo chuckles.  
"Hi Kuroo. Glad you're back." Tendo says into your shoulder.  
"Oh, they're responsive." Kuroo blinks.  
"Come inside you two," Oikawa chuckles, going behind Tendo and lightly nudging you both inside so he can close the door.   
"Thanks." You and Tendo mumble.   
"...Okay, I'm getting jealous. How much longer do you plan to stay like that?" Osamu questions.  
"... Little longer…" You and Tendo respond. There's a pause and you both chuckle before he pulls back, holding up the flowers in front of his face, peering over them into your eyes.  
"I saw them earlier and had to get them for you." He murmurs with a small blush.  
"Awww…. They're so pretty." You blush taking them and smiling. "Thank you."   
"I know it's not something you normally like but…" He rubs his neck looking down. "That's usually the apology for being an idiot right?" You blink and chuckle with a smile.  
"I think it's something like that…" You hum, taking his hand. "But I had time to think about it. And you were just trying to be careful." You kiss his knuckle. "So an apology wasn't necessary." You breathe before taking the flowers to the kitchen to get a glass of water for them. Tendo watches the doorway before meeting the sudden hostile glares.  
"I totally understand if you want to hit me." He tells them.  
"We know… Still, it's good to see you." Kiyoomi says.  
"You too Kiyoomi… Wakatoshi, I miss seeing you around the dorm. Are you doing okay here?" Tendo smiles softly.  
"Yes… In fact… I think I want to transfer here." Ushijima states as you return to the lobby, shocking everyone.  
"Wait! Wait wait!" Oikawa gasps, holding up his hands. "Let's not be hasty! Right Tendo?"  
"I'm surprised at you Wakatoshi. But… I think you would be happier here." Tendo nods thoughtfully.   
"No! Back ME up here!" Oikawa pleads.  
"Wait… We're keeping Wakatoshi?!" You gasp bouncing slightly before going to hug him. "Yesss!"  
"No! No no no! ___, let go!" Oikawa says trying to pull you away. "We're not keeping him!"  
"He's one of us now." You argue, holding onto Ushijima tighter.  
"My my, Wakatoshi-kun is so red right now." Tendo snickers. "But there's no way the headmaster will let you go before the Tournament, you're the star of Kuri after all." Tendo points out. Everyone stops at that and you frown, looking up at Ushijima.  
"You do what you want. I got your back either way." You tell him.  
"Thank you." He murmurs, hugging you back. Oikawa blinks and scoffs, releasing you and folding his arms.  
"I suppose I can't really stop if it's what you want. But you better not regret it big guy." Oikawa states moving away.  
"Is it just me or did the mood turn sour when Tendo mentioned the tournament?" You comment, pulling away from Ushijima and turning to the others. "Don't tell me you're all nervous? I mean, we're Raizu, and we're kinda the only ones that have survived the super villain Midnight and the villain Death. So taking on these other schools, and each other… Is going to be a breeze. We're Raizu, and we're going to rise to the top." You smirk.  
"Hell yeah we are!" Nishinoya beams.  
"We got this in the bag!" Atsumu rumbles.  
"Nothing we can't handle." Kiyoomi nods.   
"What a nice pep talk ___.” Tendo chuckles thoughtfully. You smile at him and pause going over to him.  
"You're here because you wanted to talk about something right?" You guess.  
"Yeah, but whatever you called me for sounded more important." He says.  
"Maybe? Come on." You take his hand leading him upstairs to your room. He hesitates at the threshold before coming in as you pick up the picture and show him.  
"Aww… Look at little Kuroo and Kenma." He gushes slightly.  
"Not them… The hero." You tell him. "I don't know why but… I think it's my dad." You murmur.  
"Wouldn't you recognize him if it was?" He asks pointedly.   
"Well, I recognize the smile… But Tendo. It's been so long I… I can't even remember what he looks like, let alone his occupation… I had no idea and it really bothers me." You sigh rubbing your cheek. He looks between you and the picture, sighing quietly as he closes his eyes, rubbing the back of his head.   
"Then I guess we should… Go see your mom." He murmurs, making you freeze, eyes widening.  
"Eh? But… I don't know where she is…" You breathe.  
"She never went anywhere ___, she's still at the old house." He tells you looking to the side. You blink at him in surprise at that. "I figured you would want closure so I've been keeping an eye on her this whole time.  
".... You really… For me?" You soften a bit, watching him.  
"Of course ___, anything for you." He breathes, meeting your gaze.   
"You really are the best." You smile. "I-I would kiss you but…"  
"Yeah. Thanks, we should save that for our first official date right?" He chuckles with a cute smile.  
"Right…" You peer at the picture again. "It's too late to go now, and tomorrow is… Uncertain, so the day after that? Could you… Come with me?" You peek up at him as he blinks.   
"Of course." He smiles softly.   
"So what did you want to talk about?" You ask, tilting your head. He looks into your eyes and shifts, fingers twitching.  
"That… Can wait until the day after tomorrow.... We should probably go join the others now… The longer we're alone together the harder it gets not to grab you and… Stuff." He adds moving away toward the door.  
"Right." You blush following him out and downstairs again, going to the living room. "Hey Kuroo, is it okay if I borrow this later?" You ask, handing him the picture.  
"Yeah sure… I hope you'll find something on him." Kuroo smiles lightly, taking the picture gingerly.  
"Me too." You breathe and look over, watching Tendo chat with Wakatoshi and a few others.  
"Everything okay?" Kuroo inquires, following your gaze.  
"Yeah… It's different now, but… Feels like a fresh start at the same time." You smile a bit. "I feel good about it."   
"Good." He touches your back. Tendo peers at you, meeting your gaze and offering a smile. You blink and smile warmly in response going over and hugging his neck.   
"Heh… We got some catching up to do don't we? Only been a few days but it sounds like you have another story for me." He says, touching your arm and leaning into you.   
"Yeah… I'll tell you all about it."  
Tendo ends up staying the night, sharing a room with Bokuto. You couldn't sleep though, mind running over scenarios over meeting your mom. You sigh, covering your eyes briefly before getting out of bed to go out into the hall, opening the window and looking out at the fireflies drifting over the yard.   
"Freaked out huh?" Tendo's voice makes you stiffen and look over as he eases over from the stairs. "Sorry I spotted you when I was coming back from getting a drink." He smiles lightly.  
"Yeah… My mind won't shut up… I'm nervous." You grip the window seal, looking out again.   
"Can't blame you there… But if you have something you're doing tomorrow, you could ask Kiyoomi if he has something to help you sleep." He points to Kiyoomi's door. "Looks like he's up… I would give you a hug but… The moonlight looks so beautiful on your skin…" He breathes, scratching his cheek as he looks you over.   
"Right… Thanks and… Goodnight." You hold out your hand to him. He blinks and takes it, kissing your knuckles softly in response. For a moment he meets your gaze and pauses.  
"___, I've kept my promises." He whispers, kissing your wrist. "Do you think you would marry me now?" He asks, placing another kiss on your forearm.   
"... Maybe." You blush lightly, arm starting to tingle. He blinks and smiles, pulling away.  
"I'm glad." He murmurs, "Goodnight." He says before disappearing upstairs. You touch your arm, watching after him before swallowing and going over to Kiyoomi's door, giving a light knock before peering in. Kiyoomi looks over in the middle of picking up an empty vial.   
"Hey… Something wrong?" He asks as you ease in.   
"Kinda… Are you about to extract venom?" You tilt your head. "Can I help?" Your inquiry makes him pause, a small blush coming to his cheeks.  
"Ah… um… S-Sure…" He manages and you move over, sitting on his desk, taking the vial.   
"So… Um… Kuroo has this picture of a hero back when he was a kid, and the hero kinda reminds me of my dad…" You pause as he puts a pill to your mouth. He looks to the side and you swallow it before tilting his head back to extract the venom of one of his fangs. "But I can't remember him anymore, so Tendo mentioned going to see my mom… And now I'm nervous and can't sleep."  
"Your mom huh…" He breathes as you pull away to change vials out.   
"You're not surprised." You comment.  
"Tendo… Took me along to see her before we went to get you from the island." He confesses and you stop.  
"H-How was she?" You ask lightly.  
"Seemed kinda sickly… and she seemed really happy when Tendo mentioned you wanted to be a hero and had a lot of friends." He admits quietly. "Sorry I didn't tell you before…"  
"It's okay. I think… That's all I needed to hear right now..." You smile softly. Your heart ached a bit but, now you felt better about it. "Anyway let's finish this next fang." You breathe, starting on the next one. He tenses slightly, hand coming over your knee as a blush crawls over his cheeks. "You make the best faces when I do this." You whisper smirking as you lean forward a bit. "You really like that huh?" His brow twitches, avoiding your gaze as the blush spreads over his ears and neck, gripping your knee a bit tighter in response.  
Soon you finish, capping the vial and watching him relax, covering his own face, ears still red. "Why did I let you do that…" He grumbles.  
"Because you liked it." You smirk. He peeks out from behind his fingers at you, suddenly pulling you off the desk and onto his lap, gripping the back of your head and kissing you deeply. You hum in surprise, kissing him back and moving even closer to him, fingers running through his hair.   
This lasted until you both ran out of breath and had to pull away. "Wow… Kiyoomi… You're a devil." You blush, putting a hand over your mouth.  
"You started it." He huffs giving you a scowl. "You already know what that does to me and you still wanted to do it. Are you trying to… To…" He blushes heavily, unable to finish the sentence.  
"You keep losing your words. Are you feeling okay?" You tilt your head.  
"I… I'm fine." He sighs hiding his face in your shoulder. "You know this is a first for me. I keep getting so flustered with you I can't speak… How lame…. I want to do this right…"   
"I think you're doing great." You hug his neck, kissing his cheek. "I'm… Really glad you're trying…."  
"Not lame?"  
"No. No…. Absolutely adorable."  
"... Ew."  
"Heh you're feeling better now huh? Can you let me up? I should really get some sleep." You chuckle.  
"Right." He pulls back blushing. "Sorry about that, I was acting on instinct there." He says as you get up.  
"Yeah, I noticed. Kinda beastly Kiyoomi. How surprising you can act like a wild man." You tease going to the door. He blinks, suddenly getting up and hugging you from behind, kissing your neck and making you shiver.  
"That's your fault, bringing out such bad parts of me." He breathes huskily against your ear.   
"Ah…. Y-Yeah… S-sorry about that Kiyoomi…" You manage blushing heavily. He smiles and pecks your cheek before quickly making you leave his room. 'If we go to the beach now I'm definitely going to get killed…' You think going back to your room and crawling into bed with Ushijima, cuddling up to him and relaxing considerably, swiftly falling asleep.

Akaashi peeks into the room silently before easing in and moving over to your bedside, rubbing his gloves together slightly before carefully unwrapping you from Ushijima's arms and gently picking you up being sure not to wake either of you as he moves out the door and puts you in his room on the bed, quickly sneaking back out to retrieve a bag and some clothes for you before returning to his room and packing a few more things.   
You stir slightly, making him look over as you search for warmth. When you don't find any, a pout forms on your lips and your eyes open. You blink at him a few times, becoming confused. "... Why am I in your bed?"  
"I snuck you out of yours." He responds simply, putting the clothes down in front of you. "Take a shower in my bathroom and wake up. We should go soon before someone wakes up." He tells you.   
What was going on? You peer at his alarm clock before deadpanning. "Akaashi… It's four in the morning…." You frown at him.  
"Kuroo and Bokuto go jogging together at five. Please hurry." He responds.   
"... Alright alright. But this whole thing is highly suspicious." You breathe getting up.   
"And you like it, don't you?" He hums, peering at you. A smirk forms on your lips at that.  
"I don't know what you mean." You respond moving into the bathroom to take a shower and get ready.   
Once you're out Akaashi opens the window. "Alright. Let's go." He states.  
"... The window Akaashi…?" You ask.  
"Sakusa and I set the alarm on the main doors to go off before five. And Oikawa gets notified if it's turned off before then." He responds before going out.   
"... He really doesn't want to be followed…" You mutter before going out after him. He guides you along the wall to a blind spot before swiftly going over it. You go after him and walk with him for the train station. "So… Can I ask?"  
"... Ever heard of Pyro Mania?" He inquires.  
"Yeah, Tendo talks about it sometimes. The dangerous and illegal villain's concert right?" You blink a few times.  
"That's it." He nods.   
"Akaashi… Are you taking me there?" You ask lightly.  
"Yeah. I stumbled into one three years ago and kinda go whenever I hear about it… I wanted someone to bring along that wouldn't tell anyone so… I'm really glad you kept this a secret, even from Tendo." He smiles a bit.  
"So we're about to go do something illegal and dangerous together?" You clarify.  
"If you're uneasy we don't have to." He assures smirking a bit.  
"No. It's just… Are you trying to make me fall for you? Because this is how you do it."   
"I knew you'd be on board."


	48. Skull Bunny

"It'll take a few hours to reach the place, and then it won't start until near sunset." Akaashi says as you both board the train. "Until then there are a few places I would like to take you."  
"Wow. You're really stealing me for the day. The others are not going to be happy. And maybe freaked out." You comment.  
"Not to worry. I left a note informing them that today you're all mine and there's nothing they can do about it." He sits down, bringing you down to his side.   
"I'm not sure if that is blunt or cheeky." You blink at him in surprise.  
"Maybe both." He responds smiling lightly.   
"Akaashi… You're a bad boy type... I was not expecting that." You marvel. He puts a finger to his lips, sending you a wink. You blush lightly at that, looking to the side. He smiles a bit before looking away and taking your hand.   
"It's a bit of a ride… So you can sleep for a bit. I'm here beside you." He breathes quietly. You look over at him as he looks downward with pink cheeks. You smile and rest your head on his shoulder, closing your eyes and drifting off.

*-*-*-*

"Bokuto!" Oikawa kicks open the door, waking him and Tendo with a jolt. "You said we don't have to worry about Akaashi!"   
"What? Of course you don't?" Bokuto murmurs half asleep, entirely confused.  
"Well according to this he's taking ___ on a day long date!" Oikawa holds out the note unhappily.   
"Eh?" Bokuto takes the note and Tendo leans on him sleepily, rubbing an eye as he reads it too. "Oh… That's sneaky."  
"How clever and unexpected. ___'s going to love it." Tendo chuckles thoughtfully.   
"___'s phone is still here." Ushijima says in the doorway, holding it up.   
"Akaashi's phone is here too." Kuroo pokes his head in. "Wherever they went can't be good."  
"Guys calm down. Akaashi is clearly the type to know what he's doing." Tendo waves his hand.  
"That's the problem! I expected this from Atsumu! Not Akaashi!" Oikawa bursts. "What other things does he have planned today?!"   
"Th-there's no way Akaashi would…" Bokuto trails off. "I don't know anymore…"  
"You guys are worrying too much. It's just a date and they don't want to be bothered. It's actually a really good idea." Tendo tilts his head in thought.  
"... This is bullshit! Everyone was butting in on my date!" Oikawa throws up his arms.  
"You brought us with you." Kuroo reminds him.  
"You all were supposed to be shopping the whole time! And this one actually brought our food to the table." Oikawa points at Ushijima.  
"I just wanted to eat." Ushijima frowns.  
"Don't be mean to Ushijima." Kuroo and Tendo point back at him.   
"Ugh… None of you are listening!" Oikawa grumbles, dropping his head. "I miss ___…”  
"And I thought I was bad about being separated from ___…” Tendo mutters.   
"Well… Akaashi's right. There's nothing we can do about it now." Bokuto stretches. "I'm hungry… Samu!"

*_*_*_*

"Alright… First is…" Akaashi pauses, looking back as you stretch with a smile shirt lifting up slightly. He glances at your stomach briefly. 'I forgot a hoodie for ___…' He realizes looking away, mentally adding that to the list. "Breakfast. I should feed you." He murmurs nodding to himself.   
"Okay." You hum joining his side and peering around. "Never been here before." You comment as you both walk together.  
"They change the location a lot… This is my second time coming to this area." He says lightly. "So I think I know where I'm going."   
He takes you to a place to eat before going to tour a nearby shrine. "Pictures!.... I don't have my phone…" You pout looking down. He stops, blinking at you and frowning.  
"N-Not to worry. I have made… a camera." He says, catching one that falls out of the slot in his arm. "See? Don't pout." He passes it to you and you light up, turning it on and pulling him in to take a picture with him.   
"Say cheese!" You chime.  
"... Cheese…" He smiles a bit.   
"Oh good idea. Better if you don't give a big smile. That cuteness could break the camera." You hum after taking the picture. He pauses and looks at you before kissing your cheek and not pulling away. The prolonged cheek kiss makes you blush wildly before he pulls away, taking the camera and snapping a picture.   
"Well, if it can survive taking that picture it can take any cute picture." He says, moving away. You gap after him before shaking off your shock and going to his side.   
"Trouble." You breathe peering at his face.  
"And here you are." He whispers leaning toward you as he hands you the camera. You stiffen blushing slightly. "If I'm trouble, would that make you a villain?" He tips your chin.   
"... Hsnfbfd…" You manage and he pauses, giving a small amused smile before straightening up.   
"Shall we take some more pictures?" He rumbles.  
"Yes!"   
After a while he decides it's time to leave the shrine and head somewhere else. "Let's see… Yeah let's go there…" He mutters to himself. You peek at his face and he meets your curious gaze. "We're close to a lighthouse, so let's go before going into town." He hums putting an arm around you. "It's supposed to be locked up, but I can get us in." He hums, twirling a key ring around his finger.   
"... Akaashi…" You chuckle. "You're just showing off at this point.."   
"Not really. You already gushed over me before this so it shouldn't be a surprise right?" He peeks at your face with a small smile.  
"Well no… You're just… A different person away from the dorm." You comment.  
"... I'm actually being more like myself now. When I'm there I'm subconsciously trying to keep the heroic look about me. Even back at the test… Then you show up at random and throw me off with some seductive line to fluster me. Or you just fluster me." He sends you a look. "I noticed you only do it to me too. Did you think I'd keep letting that slip?"   
"U-Um… I don't know what you mean." You look away blushing and he hums, eyes narrowing at you briefly before locking on the light house on the coast.   
"Looks like the tide is going out…" He comments.   
"Oooh." You breathe looking over. "Sure looks weird.  
"Yeah…" He hums. Soon you reach the lighthouse and casually opens the door, leading you up the stairs to the top. "Careful on that step there." He murmurs, taking your hand as you both near the top.   
"Wow… Nice view." You breathe, looking around once you reach the top.   
"Yeah it is." He agrees looking out at the horizon. "We can't stay here long though." He pauses as you take a picture of him.   
"You're so photogenic Akaashi." You smile. He blinks before huffing lightly, stepping closer and taking the camera, pulling you in and taking a picture with you, both of you staring into the other's eyes. He peeks at the screen and smiles.  
"Yeah. We are." He breathes.   
"... You're so damn smooth…" You grumble covering your face. He smiles, peering at you thoughtfully.   
"I'm going to repay you for all of the trouble you cause me." He whispers and you look at him in slight horror at that. "I'm glad you understand the gravity of what I just said." He tips your chin, body pressing you against the railing. A small surprised squeak leaves you at that, mind going blank. ".... You make this incredibly easy."  
"..." You look away, puffing out your blushing cheeks.   
"... How unbelievably cute." He scowls slightly, deflating your cheeks before cupping your face and making you look at him. "Do you always have to be like this?"  
"What am I doing?" You huff in confusion.   
"You should already know…" He sighs releasing your face. "Come on, let's go." He takes your hand leading you down the steps again. The step he had warned you about gives way under your foot and he instinctively pulls you into himself, pressing into the wall with you as the clatter of the board hitting the floor below echoes the building.   
"Sorry…" You whisper.   
"I honestly was expecting that." He admits.  
"Oh… Still…" You frown a bit, meeting his gaze.   
"Are you hurt?"  
"No."  
"Then it doesn't bother me. Let's go." He continues down the stairs with you. He leads you out and locks the door again, stopping and looking at the bay. "It's still low tide… Let's walk out." He breathes, taking off his shoes. You blink and do the same, following him out over the sands, walking as far as you can. Akaashi comes to a stop, looking around quietly.   
"Awe… Look at this little starfish… So cute." You murmur crouching down to touch it gently before taking a picture. He blinks, looking over at you.   
"Can I borrow that." He reaches for the camera, so you stand up and hand it to him. "Come here." He waves you closer, turning to the shore as he glances over his shoulder. You watch him carefully, glancing back to make sure the tide wasn't coming back in. He pulls you into his side. "Close your eyes." He requests.  
"... You're going to leave me aren't you?" You deadpan.   
"It's a surprise. Now close your eyes." He says again. So you do, and he looks over your face with a small smile before kissing you and snapping the picture before your eyes open in surprise. "Okay." He looks at the screen thoughtfully. "Now I'm going to leave you." He breathes before taking off for the shoes.  
"Wh-What?! Akaashi!" You gasp blushing heavily before hurrying after him. "You're so damn sneaky!"   
"You thought I was going to leave you. Be happy." He retorts with a small smirk.   
"I'm too shocked to be happy!" You respond and he stops, suddenly turning to you and nearly making you collide into him.  
"I guess that would be… So I should kiss you more is what you're saying?" He leans forward a bit.   
"L-Like I'll ever believe it either way…" You grumble blushing.   
"And there goes your self confidence." He murmurs before putting you in a headlock and continuing for the shore with you. "That won't do." He hums.   
"Wh-What… Release me…." You try to pull away to no avail. "Damn you're solid…"  
"Of course. I train with Bokuto-san a lot." He responds before releasing you to put his shoes back on. You slip yours on, peering at him carefully. He meets your gaze and leans over, pecking your cheek. "You don't need to believe it. The truth is the truth, and I like you a lot." He tells you, making you blush again. "Now come on. There's something I want to buy you." He adds, straightening up and taking your hand again and leading the way.  
He takes you into town, and to a clothes shop. "This is the only place where you can get a Pyro Mania hoodie around concert time." He whispers. "But the logo changes every year to deter the heroes. The only way to know what it will be is to attend the last concert of the year." He peers about before going to a black hoodie with bunny ears and a flaming rabbit skull logo on the chest.   
"... I love it." You whisper. He smiles at that, eyes narrowing happily.   
"Then it's yours, big sizes right?" He says picking out a big one before leading you to the counter, the cashier lighting up when he places it down.  
"Burn it up dude." The cashier nods happily, giving a rock on sign.  
"Oh we will." Akaashi hums, buying it before putting it in your backpack. "Best not to wear that, it could get burnt during the mosh."   
"Burn it up!" The cashier rumbles starting to bounce. "See you there skull bunnies!" He chimes.  
"Heh. See you." You chuckle before following Akaashi back out.  
"He's actually one of the singers you'll see there. He sings like a demon." Akaashi informs.  
"Whoa." You breathe. "Akaashi I'm getting excited. How much longer?" You hug his arm, making him pause.  
"A few more hours… We'll go look at some more sights and make the time go by faster." He tells you as you both leave the area.

"Come on Death-san they have the cutest hoodies this year." Rakurai chimes, pulling him into the shop. "I'm going to get us all one." He peers around before going to the hoodies. "Tada!"  
"... Lad you've had too much electricity this morning there's no way I'm wearing something that damn cute." Death deadpans.  
"Aww… Come on. Please." Rakurai grins.  
"... Fine." He sighs. "Boss will get a kick out of it anyway."  
"And he's going to look so cute in his!" Rakurai gushes. "Maybe I should get my honey one!"  
"I'm sure ___ would burst the hoodie if you tried." Death hums.  
"I wouldn't mind, watching that quirk is exciting." Rakurai shivers. He turns to the cashier to pay for the three hoodies happily. "Rock on Stetson! Any cute skull bunnies swing by?"  
"Hell yeah man. A real cutie just left before you guys came in. Looked like a first timer too, came in with that rad guy that blew up the stage last year." Stetson nods cheerfully.   
"No way! That's the guy I was telling you about Death-san! He could be Akaashi's doppelganger!" Rakurai gasps excitedly. "Let's recruit him!"  
"Alright lad. I'm sure the boss wouldn't mind a chance to pick on his beloved again." 

A few hours pass before Akaashi starts to walk with a bit more speed, a small smile resting on his face, telling you it was time for the concert. He takes you past the town and down a mountain path. It soon opens up to a valley that seemed to be ablaze the fires burning a few random cars. Large crowds of rugged looking people stood about with a giant stage at the center.  
"Welcome you skull bunnies! Who's ready to unleash the hell flames!?" An announcer roars. There's a demonic roar in response. "Then take it away Stetson!" He passes the microphone to the cashier from earlier today.  
"Welcome guys. Let's rock on and may the baddest bunny be summoned up for the finale! Now. Let's… ROCK!" He sheds his laid back tone, demonic rumble leaving him as red flames ignite the stage and nearby barrels, reaching for the sky before his band starts to rock out.   
You chuckle a bit, squeezing Akaashi's hand as excitement charges the air, the crowds cheering loudly. He smiles slightly leading you around some of the little shops around the place. They had some odd little accessories at each one. You soon stop, looking at one quietly. "Ah, I see you checking out my Midnight keychain. Interested?" The vendor inquires lightly. Akaashi pauses, glancing at you at that.  
"Oh no… I actually like his new titanium look to be honest. This one is more like the get up he had when we first fought." You hum not really thinking.  
"... Get outta here. You fought Midnight and lived? You should be careful saying that, he might come for your head." The vendor laughs lightly.  
"Well, normally ya would think that." A familiar voice comments and you tense as a rancid smell reaches your nose. You and Akaashi look over uneasily at Death.   
"Death? Long time no see." The vendor gasps.   
"Hey Georgie. I'll take one of those keychains of my boss. And another for ___ here." Death rumbles, paying for the two.  
"Sure thing."  
"Honey!!" Rakurai collides into your back cheerfully. You pause in surprise before reaching back and hitting him in the head. "... Yes thank you very much! I've missed you so much!" He gushes with a grin.   
"Back off Rakurai I'm on a date!" You snap in annoyance.  
"Eh? No fair." Rakurai pouts before pausing and blinking at Akaashi. "Akaashi?!"   
"Hello Not-Oikawa." Akaashi waves, pulling you into his side. "I'm normally mild mannered. But if you disturb us I'll make you regret it." Akaashi's eyes narrow dangerously.  
"Scary." Rakurai backs up.  
"Don't worry lad, I won't let him ruin yer fun." Death chuckles, passing you the keychain. "Go enjoy yerself. There's no place like this place."   
"Oh… Thanks Death…" You smile a bit.   
"Heh. Sound's weird coming from ya. Get going." He waves you off with a sheepish blush.   
"Aww. Death-san is being cute again." Rakurai snickers.   
"Shut it. Now come on and leave the couple alone." Death huffs dragging him off.  
"I still love you!" Rakurai declares.  
"Has issues…" Akaashi mutters.  
"Sure does." You hum, pausing as the crowds start to get a bit wild.  
"Looks like the mosh is starting. If you get uneasy or we get separated, just burst the ground and they'll stop. They may be villains, but they do respect a terrifying quirk." Akaashi murmurs to you.   
"Okay Akaashi." You smile as he leads you toward the stage. He's suddenly pushed into a group, making you freeze and look over. He smirks and pushes a bunch of others back. You smile a bit, dodging someone and pushing them back as Akaashi moves to be back to back with you. A chuckle escapes you both, twisting around each other and pushing back any challengers playfully.   
This was fun, like you both were dancing as well as knocking back people. Akaashi was starting to smile a lot more now too. "Okay ___, show them." He breathes. You pause in surprise at that. "Trust me." He chuckles. That sent some chills of excitement down your spine. You take off your glove and touch the ground, bursting the ground around you both, making the villains pause in surprise.  
"What?! That's awesome! What's it called?" One gasps excitedly.  
"Burst." You and Akaashi chuckle.  
"Oh! Can you burst this?" The villain makes an orb of ice.   
"Make it bigger." You tell him nodding. He grins at that making it bigger before tossing it at you. You burst it, particles exploding in a white shiny glimmer.   
"Whoa! Again!" The villain laughs making an even bigger one, tossing it to you. After the bigger burst more villains come over so you can burst their elements. Even Death sends over a black water orb.  
"___'s quirk is the best!" Rakurai cheers.  
"Hey! Skull bunny destroying everything! Come on up here and rock with us!" Stetson calls making you look over. You pause and Akaashi nudges you with a wink.  
"Let me see your dance moves again." He rumbles.  
"They're not good!" You hiss out.   
"Won't matter, they'll keep tossing up stuff for you to burst, and you can pull me up there too after a bit." He assures, before kissing your cheek. "Go wild." He whispers. You blush and nod hurrying over and jumping onto the stage.  
"What's your name, skull bunny?" Stetson asks.  
"Just call me Little Destroyer." You smirk.  
"Rock on. I love it! Everyone, give a demonic welcome to our first timer! Little Destroyer!" He roars. There's a resonating roar before the band kicks up the volume, blasting out another song as the fires reach higher. You instinctively burst another orb of ice, starting to feel the music as the crowd cheers for you. You chuckle letting the music drive you, turning about sharply to burst whatever flew your way. Your eyes lock with Akaashi.  
"Boss is gonna love this." Death breathes, recording you with a grin. "Look at yer little Destroyer go." He rumbles.   
You pull up Akaashi onto stage letting him lead you in a spicy dance, eyes not leaving each other even when more items fly in for you to burst. Akaashi chuckles, pulling you into a kiss. It didn't last long as you have to burst another ice orb.  
"Okay. Time for a bit more chaos." Akaashi hums holding up a grenade, pin touching your lip. You blink and smirk, biting down on the pin so he can free it and toss the grenade into the crowd, making them all laugh and disperse as it goes off.   
"How dangerous Akaashi." You snicker.  
"You look really nice with that pin hanging from your laps." He rumbles kissing you.   
"You guys are wild!" Stetson laughs.   
"Rock on!" You and Akaashi cheer.   
The concert lasts until the villains are alerted that heroes are on the way. Akaashi takes your left hand and quickly runs away with you as the first hero touches down. Both of you laughing the whole way to the train station.   
"That was great! Akaashi! That was so much fun!" You laugh happily, hugging him.   
"___ you were amazing." He chuckles holding you close. "You are so much fun." He breathes.   
"You too. Akaashi, that was best! Take me to the next one too!" You bounce excitedly.  
"Yes. Absolutely." He rumbles meeting your gaze. "So beautiful." He kisses you deeply. "Now I'm hungry. Let me show you a nice… Bar."   
"Akaashi…"  
"Don't worry. They serve great nachos…"


	49. Questions

"This hoodie is so soft…" You admire, pulling it on. Akaashi smiles lightly, watching you thoughtfully.  
"So when you are asked, just say we went to the beach. Technically it's not a lie." He tells you as you both near the dorms.  
"Alright… I can't wait to put those pictures on my phone… Your folder is about to get much bigger." You smile. He hums, leaning towards you thoughtfully.  
"If you want pictures of me you could just say so. I'll spoil you with some nice ones." He whispers. You blink a few times and blush heavily. "... Straight to the gutter huh? You know, I have morals." He teases lightly.   
"I-I… It was your tone!" You hiss.  
"Pull yourself together. It's almost time." He chuckles.  
"Wait. Wait. Wait." You stop, grabbing his arm. He blinks at you and hums, turning to you. "Ah… I'm not ready to part with you…" You pout.  
"... I see. Then how about we go get into trouble again soon?" He smirks, bringing your hand to his lips. "It's not like I'm totally going away."   
"Okay. Sounds fun." You breathe looking down with a smile and blush. He watches you smiling warmly.  
"I want you to kiss me. Right now." He tells you. You blink and look at him blushing more.  
"Y-You make that sound easy." You stammer.  
"Come on, do it. You know you want to." He pulls you closer. You swallow blushing more before cupping his cheek and looking into his eyes, leaning in and kissing him deeply. He hums against your lips, holding you as close as he can for a few long moments. "It sure feels different when you make the move." He breathes against your lips.   
"Is… Is that good?" You ask lightly.  
"I certainly like it." He chuckles. "Come on. If we stay out any longer I'm sure they'll come looking for us." He hums, pausing when you hug his arm as you both walk on. Soon you both enter the dorm, pausing when you find Oikawa waiting in the lobby, looking menacing with his arms folded.  
"Good evening…" You and Akaashi greet carefully.  
"Oh hey guys, welcome back. Don't mind him, he had Sakusa paralyze him like that to scare you when you came back. Sakusa says he still has an hour before it wears off." Iwaizumi informs, poking his head into the lobby. You and Akaashi look at each other at that.   
"We're sorry Dorm President. We brought you a gift. See?" You hold up a new alien documentary. Akaashi was prepared for the wrath of the jealous Dorm President. "I'll just put this here. I had a lot of fun today, but I still couldn't help but miss you." You hum sheepishly, wedging it between his arms and chest.  
"He'll be sore once the paralysis wears off, we should put him in a seat." Akaashi says lightly. You both move Oikawa to a chair and you kiss his forehead. "We're very sorry Oikawa." He adds before you both start upstairs. Both stopping to check around before kissing again and continuing up, going to your room as Tendo stretches, getting up from your bed.  
"Hm? You're back!" He chimes and pauses, blinking at your hoodie. "Ooh! You had so much fun!" He grins hugging you and Akaashi cheerfully. "Akaashi you have good taste." He comments, pulling back with a grin.   
"Tendo… You…" You blink in surprise.   
"I don't know what you're implying." He says putting a finger to his lips, and closing an eye. You and Akaashi pause at that. "Anyway I should get going, I just wanted to make sure you got home safe since you left your phones." He pokes both of your noses. He gives a small smile before heading out. You and Akaashi watch him go.  
"You know, that best friend of yours is really cool. But at the same time he terrifies me." Akaashi breathes. You glance at him and he smiles a bit. "It's late, I'm going to bed. Goodnight ___.” He kisses your cheek before going to his room.  
"Goodnight." You say after him before smiling and looking down. You pause and look to the staircase to find a few heads peeking around the corner unhappily. "Ah… Hey guys…" You greet awkwardly. Ushijima comes up, looking at them in confusion before pausing and spotting you.   
"You're back, did you enjoy yourself?" He asks coming over to you.  
"Yeah. We went to the beach." You smile.  
"No fair! I want to see ___ in a bathing suit again!" Atsumu bursts.  
"Eh? He snuck you out to go to the beach?" Kuroo huffs.  
"He didn't want you guys to interfere." You respond.  
"Tch." He huffs.   
"..." You glance at Bokuto as his eyes narrow. "It was supposed to be my turn…" He grumbles.  
"S-Sorry Bokuto. It was his price." You frown. "Don't pout."   
"... Spend the night in my room." He murmurs.  
"Yeah okay." You relax.  
"At least you've had a sort of date with ___." Atsumu scoffs.   
"Shut it Tsumu. You're usually the one that follows ___ everywhere and hogs ___ to yourself." Osamu deadpans.  
"I-I do not!" Atsumu snaps and the twins start to argue.  
"I'm going to take a shower and change, I smell like smoke." You hum going into your room and picking out some clothes.   
"___?" Ushijima scratches his cheek, coming over.  
"Yeah Wakatoshi?" You ask, looking at him.  
"Can I take you on a date too?" He points to himself.  
"You… Y-Yeah sure. How about after the tournament?" You smile lightly.  
"Even though I'm going to win?" He tilts his head.  
"That absolute confidence you have is sort of endearing." You chuckle turning to him before lowering your voice. "But I hope that doesn't mean you're underestimating me. Sweetie." You add huskily. He shivers slightly, blush coming to cheeks.   
"That… Would be rude…" He shakes his head looking to the side.  
"Good. Excuse me." You hum going into the bathroom to shower. He touches his cheeks, rubbing them slightly.  
"I feel weird…" He mutters before changing to go out for a jog.   
You soon come back out and head to Bokuto's room, giving a knock on the door. You hear him tell you to come in and do so, finding him sitting dejectedly, turned away from the door. 'Akaashi warned me this would happen….' You think, closing the door behind and going over, climbing onto the bed behind him.  
"I'm sorry…" You touch his back. He grumbles in response, folding his arms with a huff. You blink and frown, pressing against his back. "I loooove you…" You hum hugging him from behind. Still no response. You pout and kiss his neck, making him shiver. "Kotaro~ Pay attention to me when I'm loving on you." You grumble into his neck, making him chuckle slightly, trying to move his neck away.  
"Aha! I found a weak point." You breathe, nipping his neck. "Om nom nom!" He laughs at that, trying to free himself from you. "I'm not letting you go until you say it." You chuckle moving to the other side of his neck to nip and kiss it. He was laughing more now.  
"I-I love you!" He chuckles, squirming a bit. You pause and hum, not releasing him. "_-___?"  
"Nope nevermind the laugh of yours is too cute to let you go now." You start to tickle his neck with kisses again.  
"N-No! Babe stop!" He laughs, reaching around and pulling you around to his lap, covering your mouth. "I get it… I love you too."   
"Do you get it Bokuto? Really?" You raise an eyebrow. He removes his hand from your mouth and smiles.  
"Yeah… Sorry, I got jealous…" He breathes.   
"You were right though, you keep getting skipped…" You rest your head on his shoulder. "When's the trip for the first years?" You ask.  
"In two days…" He hums before pausing. "Wait, how did you find out?!" He gasps.  
"Don't worry about it. And let's go on a date the day before that. When we get back from the trip we'll have to get ready for the tournament so…" You draw hearts on his chest with your index finger. "Let's go then."  
"Alright. I already know what we're doing. We'll be gone for the day too. Oh, and you'll need a bathing suit ready." Bokuto grins rocking with you and holding you even closer, nose brushing yours. "I'm excited now. I can't wait." He breathes excitedly.   
"You're so damn cute. But we should get some sleep." You chuckle kissing him.   
"Right," He falls over with you, reaching over and turning off the light in the same motion. He holds you to his chest, nuzzling your temple. "I love you."  
"I love you too. Cute owl."  
"Hoot!"

*_*_*_*

"Hm? What's this?" Tendo hums as Death sends him a video.  
"Something you'll really enjoy boss, from the concert." Death chuckles.  
"You should've gone boss! You could've danced with ___ as Midnight!" Rakurai chimes. Tendo hums and brings up the video, eyes lighting up.  
"Heh… ___ sure is at ease here, look at that smile… I had no idea…" Tendo smiles watching quietly.   
"Yeah. Ya can't even tell those two are heroes… Stetson really took a shine to them as well." Death rumbles.  
"Can't believe that wild guy from last year was Akaashi! That's crazy!" Rakurai laughs. "He's so calm and ice cold at the dorm. But when he's at the concert he's like a demon with fire in his eyes."  
"Right? Good thing I went as Midnight then or I would've been caught by now." Tendo sighs lightly.  
"Talk about a close call." Death comments.  
"I wish I had seen this coming though. I would've liked to have been present… And Pyro Mania is just fun as hell." Tendo chuckles.  
"Oh! I got you the new hoodie!" Rakurai holds it up cheerfully. "I got Death-san one too but he took it off already…"   
"Nice. The new hoodie is so cute." Tendo smiles lightly.   
"So boss. Any new ideas?" Rakurai asks.  
"Nope. The Tournament is next week so more heroes will be coming here. It's best to tread lightly for the time being." Tendo tells them.  
"Should we leave the area then?" Death inquires.  
"That's probably for the best to be honest… Go have a vacation. I'll contact you when it's time again." Tendo rumbles, sending them both money for the trip. "Be careful though Kobalt. Dagger is coming to town." He adds ominously.  
"Oh.. Fuck that. I'm out before those snakes come lookin." Death suddenly gets up. "See ya later boss, take care." He adds going out.  
"Who's Dagger? They must be strong to make Death-san nervous." Rakurai comments in surprise.  
"Dagger isn't a person. It's a Mercenary group, and a deadly one at that. Kobalt has a price on his head so running into them will not end well." Tendo frowns getting up. "Unfortunately he's not the only person I know on that list…"   
"Boss, you okay? You seem uneasy." Rakurai frowns.  
"I am… Rakurai… I'm going to need your help tomorrow.." Tendo sighs, rubbing his face. "I shouldn't have done it…. But ___ wants to know so I'll help…"   
"I-It'll be okay boss…"

+*+*+*+

You stretch awake, sitting up and immediately feeling sick to your stomach. "Ugh…" You lay back down and curl up.   
"Babe… You up now? What's wrong?" Bokuto leans over you with a concerned frown.  
"Nothing… Probably just nerves…" You murmur. He tilts his head, rubbing your cheek.  
"I'll talk to Samu and see what he can cook up for you… Stay in bed until you're ready okay?" He kisses your forehead before going out. You close your eyes, you didn't really sleep last night, no matter how hard you tried. A headache rings against your temples.   
'I know. I know. What do you want me to do? You won't shut off and let me rest…' You sigh quietly, rubbing your eyes. "Dammit…"   
After a while, Osamu comes in with a tray of food, setting it down to feel your face. "Yeah… You feel fine. But you look like the owl kept you up all night." He frowns softly.  
"No… I kept me up all night… So damn annoying…" You grumble sitting up and rubbing your face.  
"Is it because you're going somewhere with Tendo?" He inquires, placing the tray on your lap.  
"It's the destination really… I'm nervous…" You sigh. "I thought I was fine with it yesterday. But now that I know there's no avoiding it… Im scared." You take a few bites.  
"... Please just tell me where you're going because now I'm worried." He sighs.  
"I'm going to see my mom." You breathe. He pauses, eyes widening.  
"Okay. Now that's understandable… Um… I'll get you some chocolate to take with you to help your nerves." He says before hurrying out. Then Kiyoomi comes in to check on you.  
"Nerves?" He guesses, sitting on the edge of bed.  
"Nerves." You nod. "She doesn't know we're coming. I have imagined all of the worst case scenarios over and over since last night. And I am… So tired…" You sit back as you finish eating. "And I didn't taste anything I just ate so… It's bad."   
"Tendo's on his way. You're not going alone." He takes your hand. "It'll be okay."  
"You can say that all you want but I'm not going to feel it…" You frown apologetically.  
"I figured. But I don't know what else to say to help you feel better about this." He frowns as well.   
"I know, sorry for being a pain first thing in the morning." You rub your cheek looking down.  
"___, you're what takes the pain away." He states. You pause and look at him in surprise as he takes off his mask. He meets your gaze with a soft frown. "I um…" He frowns more, closing his eyes as his brow furrows. "Why is this so hard sometimes?" He grumbles to himself. He straightens up a bit before opening his eyes and focusing on you. "I never once thought of you as a nuisance or anything like that. I still don't… So don't think like that."   
"Sorry…" You breathe looking away again. He cups your cheek and leans over, kissing you softly.   
"I… I…" He sighs and touches his forehead to your shoulder in annoyance. "Dammit…"   
"Heh. What's the rush? It's fine." You smile a bit, leaning your head against his. Your fingers run through his hair softly as you relax more, peering at his neck quietly before pressing a kiss to it, making him stiffen slightly.  
"... Why?" He breathes. You chuckle and kiss his jaw he rumbles slightly, suddenly lifting his head to give you a frown. You snicker and peck his lips. His brow twitches and you do it again, but this time he kisses you back, cupping your cheek to keep you in place.   
"Heh… I feel so much better now…" You breathe against his lips. "Thanks."  
"... How? What did I do?" He mutters lost.  
"If I take the pain away. You take the anxiety away." You smile, making him blush.   
"Alright, I think I understand that." He smiles softly at you. "No matter what happens today… Y-You still have me…" He looks to the side.  
"That's really reassuring." You smile hugging him tightly.  
"Hey! Don't be loving in my room unless it's on me." Bokuto comes back in, pointing at you two.  
"Don't point, that's rude." Kiyoomi tells him, pulling away.  
"Bokuto hugs." You smile opening your arms to him.  
"Oooh you're feeling better babe! Good job Sakusa!" Bokuto gushes hugging you cheerfully, pausing briefly to pull Kiyoomi into the hug.  
"Get off." Kiyoomi grimaces.   
"Haha this is…." Bokuto becomes paralyzed and Kiyoomi frees himself, taking your tray.  
"Get ready soon. Tendo should be here in a bit." He tells you before going out. You smile and peek at Bokuto's frozen face.  
"You're so cute. I'm going to cover your face and neck in kisses and you can't do anything about it." You snicker before doing so. He soon starts to chuckle as you cover his neck. "Uh oh. It's wearing off." You hum, kissing his jawline. He suddenly moves again, capturing your lips with an amused rumble.  
"I love you." You both chuckle.   
"Alright. I gotta get ready." You push him down on the bed and give him another kiss before getting up and going out to your room to get ready. You pause, looking at K.K 2.0 on your dresser, and grab it with the canisters.   
"___, I brought you the chocolate." Osamu says coming in.   
"Thanks Samu. You're the best." You kiss his cheek, taking the chocolate.  
"You're feeling better." He smiles.  
"Well yeah… It's not like you guys are going anywhere if I get rejected by my mom again. So… No matter what happens I'll be okay. And still happy." You breathe, putting your hands on your hips to show confidence in your statement. Osamu blinks before smiling warmly.  
"Good." He nods cupping your cheek.  
"___! Tendo's here!" Atsumu calls.   
"Alright. Go time." You breathe, giving him a hug before heading down stairs, finding Tendo waiting with a careful smile. "... You're nervous too huh?" You guess.  
"Yeah." He chuckles. "Let's get going." He breathes and you start out together. "Oh wait. You got your bracelet?" He inquires.  
"Mhm. I always do. Why?" You hold it up.   
"Just checking." He breathes looking ahead.  
"Tendo…" You frown lightly.  
"... You sure you want to go find out?" He asks carefully.  
"Yeah… It's my dad so… I want to know… And it's time to see her." You tell him.  
"Then let's go. If it's what you want I'll help you get it." He says looking ahead. It felt like he was trying to avoid something. You open your mouth to apologize for the trouble. "Don't apologize. I will do anything I need to if it makes you happy. So even if it goes sour. Don't regret this okay?"   
"Right." You breathe looking down. "You'll still be here if it does. Right?" You murmur.  
"Of course. Being away from you for too long is just hell. So I'll stay with you for as long as I can." He smiles softly. You smile too and focus on the walk ahead.   
The familiar street comes into view and you remember spots where you and Suna would play. The house soon comes into view, looking rather unkempt as you approach. Your heart races and you pause halfway down the driveway, taking Tendo's hand as he moves to offer it. He shifts watching your face before squeezing your hand and touching his forehead to your temple. You meet his gaze and nod before he leads you to the door and knocks.  
After a few moments a familiar woman opens the door and peeks out, pausing at the sight of Tendo before freezing as her eyes meet yours. You swallow as she opens the door more in shock. "H-Hi mom…"  
"___…” She tears up. "Um… What are you…" She wipes at her eyes. "C-Come in." She says moving out of the way. Tendo squeezes your hand before you both enter the house. "S-Sorry it's a bit of a mess. I don't leave the house often…" She manages, glancing at yours and Tendo's hands.   
"It could be worse honestly. So don't worry. Sorry for surprising you like this. Melody." Tendo tells her lightly.  
"I… It's okay… I keep going past Raizu since your last visit." Your mom leads you both to the familiar living room, paintings and sketches of you and your father scattered about in a clutter. You and Tendo sit close together on the couch while she takes an arm chair. She peers at you and smiles softly. "You look strong… Do you like it there?"  
"Yeah. I have the best classmates there. We're all pretty close." You answer, rubbing your cheek.   
"I see… So… Is this your boyfriend?" She gestures to Tendo, making you both pause and turn red. "He's the only one that comes to visit every once and a while. You have a really sweet boyfriend. It's thanks to him I know how you're doing… He gave me a bunch of photos of you last time."  
"I… Had no idea." You blink at her, peeking at Tendo as he turns his head away, still red.  
"Oh… Sorry. Guess I wasn't supposed to say anything about it…" She giggles lightly. "Still it made me happy." You look back at her and shift.   
"Um… Speaking of pictures…" You pull out the one Kuroo had handed you before you left and show it to her. "Is this dad?"  
"Yes.. That's when Kieru was doing hero work… When he found out I was pregnant with you, he decided to become a hero. Wanted you to be raised on 'honest money'. Is the way he put it…. He stopped when he met a hero from a different country. About a year before your quirk…" She swallows and smiles. "Everything he did was for you in the end." She sniffs.  
"... I don't understand. If you don't hate me then why did you leave me." You ask suddenly.   
"Because… I promised him." Melody breathes, tears coming to her eyes. "I didn't want to. Not once. But it wasn't safe for you. And it still isn't." She whispers.   
"What do you-" Tendo suddenly stands and you break off as one of his eyes lights up.   
"We need to leave now. All of us." He states, pulling you up to your feet. Melody blinks and stands uneasily.   
"It's them… isn't it?" She asks as he takes you to a door and opens it, leading you into the basement. She swiftly follows.   
"Yes." Tendo answers, going to a small outlet in the wall and opening it to show a keypad, inputting the numbers.  
"How do you…" Melody frowns uneasily as the wall opens up.   
"I've already seen this." Tendo responds.  
"Wait. What's going on?" You question in confusion. "Tendo?"  
"There's mercenaries coming and we need to leave." He tells you going forward as a tunnel lights up.  
"What? Why? Did you do something?" You look at your mom as she makes sure the walls closes before following swiftly.  
"... Yes." She nods uneasily. "I'm sorry."   
"Don't worry. I'll protect you." You tell her before looking at Tendo. "You saw this coming."  
"Yes. I didn't sleep last night going over the routes." He responds, looking at the ceiling as a trimmer shakes the area. "Sorry Melody. I should've warned you so you could've grabbed anything important before they destroyed your home."  
"That's okay. You're holding onto the only important thing I have left." She responds, glancing back. Tendo's hand squeezes yours at that.   
"___, I need you to burst that whole area there. They'll discover the wall soon." He tells you, pointing at the spot.   
"Okay. Leave it to me." You breathe, pulling off your glove.  
"Where did you get that glove?" Melody asks carefully.  
"An antique shop from a friend. Why?" You ask stopping in the spot as they pass it.  
"Oh.. N-No reason." She shakes her head, stopping to watch as you burst a section of the tunnel. Tendo pulls you into him as the earth and rock soon blocks the tunnel behind you.   
"That will barely slow them down. Let's keep going." Tendo states quickly continuing with you both. He comes to an iron door, inputting a code before getting it open and looking back as you and Melody go through. A trimmer shakes the tunnel and Tendo swallows, not following and moving to close the door back.  
"Tendo! What are you doing? Come with us!" You gasp stopping him.   
"___, trust me, this is the safest route for you." He tells you.   
"What about you? Tendo…" You plead. He searches your face before kissing you deeply.  
"I love you." He whispers. He moves to pull back but you grip his arm.  
"Promise you'll come back to me. I want you to come back." You tell him, tearing up anxiously as the trimmer grows stronger. He pauses and presses the button on your sos bracelet.  
"Get your mom to the agency." He says, carefully pushing you back before closing and locking the door between you two.   
"Tendo!" You hit the door, starting to shake. 'Focus on what needs to be done.' Kiyoomi's voice sounds in your head. "Let's go." You grab your mom's hand, running for the ladder and climbing up after her, pausing to look back at the door before hurrying up.

Tendo sighs quietly, taking off his backpack and hoodie before removing his helmet from the backpack, putting it on before turning to the group that was coming down the tunnel.   
"Holy shit. Aren't you Midnight? What are you doing down here? And why does it feel like you're standing in our way?" The young leader asks, tilting his head fluffy blond hair swaying slightly.   
"Because I am. This is my territory Dagger. I'd appreciate it if you didn't hunt on it." Midnight rumbles.  
"Sorry Midnight. This is Dagger's law. And we've been waiting a long time for this head. We'll leave as soon as we get it." The blond smiles, before pausing as Midnight's blades come out.   
"Sorry. Normally I wouldn't care. But my beloved is involved. So I'm not budging." Midnight says getting ready.   
"I see… That's too bad." The blond's blue eyes start to glow orange. "Guess we'll just go through you then."

You rush down the street with your mom, glancing around uneasily. A large man suddenly comes through a building, charging at you both. You swallow, removing your glove and holding your hand out to him, but lightning crashes between you and black chains knock him back.  
"Sorry about that! He's mine!" Rakurai waves you on, smiling. "Hurry honey!" His blue eyes starting to glow, the black chains glowing white now, flickering like lightning, crashing into a few others that came into the area. You hesitate in confusion before continuing on for the agency. You were getting close now.   
"___! What's going on?" Hibarida calls landing in front of you both.  
"Take my mom! She's in trouble! I need to go back to Tendo!" You tell him swiftly, pushing her into him. You swiftly turn, starting to run back.  
"They're not after me!" Your mom calls at your back and you stop.  
"What do you mean? Why are they attacking us?" You turn back in confusion.  
"... Because they're after you."


	50. Tears

"What? Why me?" You huff feeling utterly lost. There wasn't time for this. Your best friend was in trouble.  
"Because the day your quirk showed up, was the day you took away their best agent." She says carefully. "The only way Dagger releases their agents is by death. And you kill one of the agents, regardless of age, or accident. You become a target."  
"But… Dad was the only one that day…" You murmur blankly.  
"It used to be common back then. For mercenaries to play as heroes.. I'm sorry you had to find out like this. But he never killed anyone as long as you existed." She tells you, tears leaving her eyes.  
"... That's why…" You whisper, everything coming together in your head. A giant glass wall digs into the ground between you and your mom. Hibarida seems to call out, but you can't hear him even as he hits the glass. You start to turn, jumping as Rakurai hits the wall, falling to the ground. "Rakurai!" You gasp, blinking out of your daze and kneeling beside him. Blood running from his eyes and nose.   
"R-R-Run…" He whispers, blood splattering from his lips. You frown heavily, putting K.K to his lips.  
"Breathe." You kiss his temple. "You were protecting me weren't you?" He looks at you shakily, looking worried as he inhales the canister. You hand K.K to him, standing up and taking off your hoodie as a group starts your way, being led by a pissed off blond with a deep gash running down the side of his face, passing over his right eye.  
"There you are ___, finally. Dagger has been watching your home for a long time now. Good to see you're still alive." He plasters on a smile as he speaks to you.   
"Okay." You respond, taking off your sos bracelet.   
"That's it? You're not scared at all?" He tilts his head. "Do you know what Dagger is?"  
"I do. Still don't care." You respond bluntly rolling your shoulders. "You're not the first fucks to come for me so let's just get down to it."  
".... Wow! I like you… Such a shame though. First Midnight and now you…" His visible eye starts to glow orange.  
"The fuck did you do to my boss?" Rakurai growls, getting to his feet shakily.  
"I didn't get to finish him. But I'm sure he's dead by now." He smiles.  
"You… Killed Midnight?" You echo, heart sinking, right arm starting to buzz. Why were tears coming to your eyes? Why were you feeling sad? Rakurai glances at you and bites his lip.   
"___. You can't die here. Understand?" Rakurai breathes, blue eyes boring into yours, pinkish tears leaving his eyes. You blink, a tear slipping out as well.   
"Let's show them what happens when monsters are backed into a corner." You whisper. He smiles a bit and nods before you both look at the group. Fire flickers over the blond and he gives a catlike smile.   
"Bring it." He hums suddenly flashing at you in a veil of fire. You dodge, jumping up and twisting about to kick him in the head, sending him into the invisible wall. The ground shakes slightly and you sense another moving behind you. Your eyes lock with Rakurai and you flip back over the mercenary's head, Rakurai swinging a black chain into his side, sending him flying.   
"Nice hit Rakurai." You praise as the blond flashes at you again. He was full of openings, was this guy really the leader? You swiftly twist out of the way, flames licking at your arm as you do so. "Shit." You whisper as he smirks, a blast of fire hitting your stomach and knocking you away. You internally scream, bursting your shirt to be rid of the flames.  
"Oh… You're really nice to look at." The blond tilts his head as one of the others hits Rakurai into the wall with a crystal bat. "And I do love burning nice looking things." You weren't listening, glancing over to find Hibarida and your mom gone. He probably took her to the agency to get back up. But even if they got back how could they get into this dome? Could you burst it?   
'Let's fill it up with red instead.' The whisper sounds at the back of your mind, making your hand twitch. 'We don't have time for this. What about Tendo-'  
"Now's not the time to be spacing out ___!” The blond roars, a burst of flames coming at you. You bring your left index finger to your lips.  
"Shhh." You hiss, right hand aiming at the ground, sending up particles from the ground, killing the fire and filling up the area in the dome. You dodge his kick in the particles, twisting about and kicking him in his back in retort. The particles made it feel dusty and sort of hard to breathe, but you felt safe with this.   
"Shit… Maxy! Raise it! Or put a hole!" The blond's call sounds and you lunge forward, left fist crashing into the right side of his face blindly. He cries out and your knuckles feel wet from blood that still marks his face. You follow his voice, striking out blindly and hitting him in the throat.   
'Don't let up. Need to hurry…' You think, following him to the ground, throwing punches down at him, pausing as the particles lift away. 'It's gone now. Good.'   
A black chain wraps around your waist, yanking you away as a crystal bat is swung at your head. "Shit Malcolm. That one busted you up good." The wielder huffs, pulling the blond to his feet as he sways and staggers.   
"Fucking… I'm going to fucking kill them!" Fire bursts off of Malcolm as he glares at you. His eye wasn't glowing as bright and the fire seemed weaker now too.   
"You're not fighting at full power… Not since Midnight took your eye." You realize. He pauses, lip curling.  
"Doesn't mean I can't kill you." He snarls.  
"___… I can't keep fighting at this rate…" Rakurai breathes to you. You glance over at him. He had more gashes on him now and he was barely keeping his eyes open.  
"Just keep using K.K. I'll protect you while you run." You whisper.  
"If I run you better be coming with me." He retorts.   
"You know that's not possible with these guys." You breathe as Malcolm roars, bursting at you with crystal daggers in his hands. You raise your right hand at him and he slashes at you. The crystal dagger bursting the moment it touches your palm. He takes in a breath, pausing and giving you an opening to punch him in the nose, sending him back. Something slashes open your arm at that and you jump back instinctively, feeling something nick your throat.  
"Tch… ___ if you don't kill them we are going to die." Rakurai hisses to you as one of the women rush you both. You glance back as he brings up chains to stop her, paling as they melt from her touch. "___!" He gasps. You barrel into him to get out of the way, another air slice hitting you both as you do.   
You can feel blood pouring from the gashes, Rakurai coughs, the last slice had put a gash on your side and his stomach. You blink and swiftly cover his wound, feeling worry rise to your chest. He pushes you back, another gash opening on his arm.   
"Run.. I got a little more juice in me. I'm going to make an opening for you." He hisses, blue eyes flickering with lightning.   
"No Rakurai, they'll kill you." You shake your head tearing up. He blinks at you and smiles.  
"Then you're just going to have to miss me." He winks, starting to get up again. You grip his arm, getting up as well and looking to the group as Malcolm grins viciously a fire saw forming above his fingers.  
"Get ready to die." He beams, throwing it at you. Rakurai moves to shield and everything goes dark as a wall of black water crashes down between you two and the group, rushing out and sweeping them up, Death appears as the water thins out, the group gagging and vomiting. You tense, catching Rakurai as he staggers back, both of you looking at Death.  
His skin and hair were an ashy gray, his red eyes wild and dangerous, black tears streaming from them. Heavy breaths heaving out of him. "I don't care how big the price on my head gets. I'm gonna kill all ya fuckers for what ya did ta him!" He hisses out sounding pained.   
There's a pause and Rakurai takes a deep breath before straightening up again. You swallow, biting your lip and moving to Death's side with Rakurai.   
"Dammit! Kobalt was here too?! You're all lining your necks out for the axe!" Malcolm barks, throwing another fire saw at you three. Black water rises and disperses it as crystal daggers fly at all of you. You swipe your right hand out to burst them, sand crashing into your gut and flinging you back. You hit the ground, skidding slightly and feeling your back get scraped.   
You quickly move to get up, daggers flying into you moment your arms down. You gasp and swiftly burst them, sand hitting you forward suddenly almost making you fall. You swiftly catch your balance, spinning about and bursting the sand and everything that flew at you. Things were starting to get fuzzy. You look to check on Rakurai and Death. Rakurai is down again, struggling to get up. Death's black water suddenly moves again, pulling the group into a black water orb. He closes his hand into a fist and there's a sudden reddish tint to the black water before he releases it, bones scattering about on the street.   
'Good. Now I can get Tendo.' You think, staggering for where you remember leaving the tunnel. Your legs felt like noodles and you kept tripping, blood splattering under you. 'Move body. Just until we get to him.' You plead, starting to fall again but Death catches you with shaking arms.  
"Y-Yer red haired lad… H-He told me ta tell ya he's fine. A-and he went ta hide…" He whispers as you look up at him. His skin and hair had returned to normal now, black tears still running down his cheeks. "Helpsa comin… S-So just wait here ___…” He sniffs. He looked so sad. It made your heart ache as you reach up and wipe away one of the tears.  
"... I'm sorry… About Midnight." You whisper tearing up too. He bites his lip, hugging you as your vision starts to blur, face hiding in your shoulder.  
"I'm sorry ___… I'm so sorry…." He whispers crying. Why was he apologizing? You can feel his tears falling on you even as you start to black out. 

*~*~*~*

This may be your first time waking in a hospital bed. You blink up at the ceiling, feeling utterly drained. You wanted to go back to sleep, but your eyes drift about, finding a familiar pair of foxes curled up on either side of you. Kiyoomi asleep in a chair nearby and what feels to be an owl nestled next to your head. But something was weighing on your chest.  
"Tendo…?" You whisper. The foxes raise their heads at that, looking at you.   
"___! ___'s up!" Atsumu gasps, taking human form and cupping your face with tearful eyes.   
"Where's Tendo?" You ask quietly, voice feeling hoarse. He swallows and Osamu takes form.  
"I'll get the doctor." He states hurrying out. Kiyoomi leans over you and Chibi Bokuto hugs your neck sniffling.   
"How do you feel?" Kiyoomi asks you softly.  
"Kiyoomi. Where's Tendo?" You murmur. They all pause, looking away from you now. "He was with me in the tunnels… Where's my best friend?" Desperate tears coming to your eyes.  
"We… We don't know… No one can find him…" Kiyoomi admits.   
"D-Death said he talked to Tendo. Tendo said he was going to hide… Wh-where's my phone?" You try to get up only to fall back wincing.  
"Don't move, you have an infection." The doctor says coming in and shooing the guys off of you. "Hello ___, it's good to see you finally awake." He smiles.  
"H-How long was I out?" You ask.  
"Two days now." He hums.  
"... Tendo should've contacted us by now." You breathe, looking to Kiyoomi.  
"I've been messaging him with both of our phones." He tells you.   
"Then I… I need to go look for him." You try to get up again.   
"___, I implore you to stay in bed." The doctor says.   
"No. I-I need to see him…" You force yourself to sit at the edge of the bed. "I need clothes."   
"Wait. Babe. Please. We'll go look for him again. So just stay in bed." Bokuto begs, swiftly changing into his original size. You meet his gaze, searching his face.   
"... You have until sundown." You whisper, looking down. He nods, him and the twins hurrying out. The doctor frowns heavily, leaving as well. You sigh heavily and lay back down at that. "What time is it?"  
"You've given them three hours." Kiyoomi informs, frowning heavily. "___…"  
"I don't want to be scolded. If you want to calm me. Get me Tendo." You tell him, looking at the ceiling. Death's apologetic sobs are still ringing clearly in your head. "Please… I need to know he's okay." You whisper, biting your lip. "He made me leave him down there…" You tear up and cover your face. "I shouldn't have done that…"   
"I-I'm sure…" His voice falls and he just puts a hand over yours in a feeble attempt to comfort you.  
"___ I have informed the detectives you're awake. They'll want to talk to you after we clean your wounds and give you your antibiotics." The doctor says coming back in and pausing at the scene. "I'm sorry didn't mean to interrupt."  
"... It's fine. Clean me up so I can talk to them and go look for my best friend." You wipe your eyes, sitting up again. Kiyoomi watches you before getting up and leaving the room as your wounds are drained and cleaned.   
After speaking with the detectives, you look out the window to find sundown drawing near and start to get dressed to leave. Kiyoomi didn't come back, you probably upset him by being stubborn.   
"___? Coming in." A rumble sounds as you finish getting dressed and you look over at Hibarida.  
"Is my mom safe?" You ask.  
"Yes. And worried about you." He tells you lightly.  
"Good. Then you can help me look for Tendo." You respond bluntly.  
"___ we've already searched the tunnels and the places Tendo has been… We can't find him. And if he had tried to get in Dagger's way then…" He stops as you give him a severe look.  
"Shut your mouth. Don't you dare say it without evidence." You hiss out, tears coming to your eyes again.  
"___ please… Calm down. We're doing all we can." He raises his hands carefully.  
"Really? Because it just sounded like you've already given up on him." You brush past, pulling on your right glove and storming out. Where would he go? Where would he hide? Your mind was buzzing so loudly you didn't realize someone was currently trying to talk you into going back to your room until they touched you.   
"___! What are you doing? Go back to bed." Iwaizumi frowns.   
"Did anyone find Tendo?" You ask.  
"No but-"  
"Then fuck that bed. I'm going to look for him." You continue on.   
"___, you're going to get sick." He grabs your arm but you smack his hand away, looking at him with a glare. He straightens, meeting your glare calmly. "Please ___. We're trying…"  
"I can't wait in that hospital room wondering if he's okay. Or if he's…." You shake, fighting down the tears. "That's my best friend. I can't… Iwa-chan… I can't…" You shake your head hopelessly, tears streaming from your eyes. He bites his lip, tears rising to his eyes too and he suddenly hugs you as tight as he can.  
"Then I'll go with you." He whispers as you wipe your face.  
"Okay. Let's go." You nod and both leave the hospital together. "... Maybe… There was another way out back in the tunnels." You sniff. "Death saw him, and I'm pretty sure Death came out of the sewers when he joined the fight so…"   
"Alright. Sounds like we'll need some flashlights. Let's stop by the dorm." He nods, glancing at the setting sun.   
"Okay. Message Bokuto and the twins that we left okay? They're probably there now." You tell him. He nods and does so, peering at you.   
"You were asleep for a while. Did you eat?" He asks.  
"No… I'm not hungry either." You respond looking ahead. He frowns heavily at that but doesn't argue, eventually you both reach the dorm and he rushes in to get you both flashlights. Even from the outside you could tell everyone was gone. Iwaizumi returns, passing you a flashlight and letting you take the lead for your old home.   
"Everyone has been looking for him.." He lets you know as you walk together. "The twins tried to follow his scent. But apparently Death was in the tunnels at some point too and they lost it."   
"... When I left the tunnels, Rakurai tried to keep Dagger off of me. He said they were his opponents. So maybe Midnight…" Your heart sinks a bit at the villain's name but you shake your head. "Maybe his gang was already tracking Dagger to attack them and we were just caught in the middle." You rub your eyes. "Death said he had a price on his head. He didn't care though. Because they killed Midnight." Tears threaten you again. "I couldn't save him or Tendo…"   
"___… You didn't know Midnight was involved. And you know Tendo… He…" Iwaizumi frowns again, not sure how to continue.  
"He would do anything to protect me." You bite your lip. "And I let him." Iwaizumi stops, bringing your head to his chest. You hug him tightly, calming yourself down before pulling away and moving on hastily.  
You reach the destroyed home and frown, taking off your glove to burst your way down to the tunnels. The flashlight beams search the walls as you both walk in silence until you reach where you had made the cave in.  
"Could he have gotten out from here?" Iwaizumi shines his light upwards, igniting a tree that peered into the hole before shining it to the side where it opened into a sewer.  
"Maybe, let's check near the door before trying the sewer." You breathe, moving further down. You just. Needed to check this side. Where you had left your best friend all alone.   
It's like your flashlight was attracted to this certain spot on the ground near the door that had been ripped open. A large dark spot on the ground, sitting so close to the door, reaching up the wall like someone had leaning against it and bleeding out. Tears were leaving your eyes again as you stood there frozen looking at the spot. A small shaky whisper leaving your lips.   
"What have I done…?"


	51. Search

*Sorry it took so long. I accidentally deleted the original version of this and tried to rewrite it by memory… I promise to be more careful in the future. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and please don't forget to comment!*

Your fingers tap on the table in agitation. Checking your phone for Tendo every few minutes was becoming a habit at this point. It wasn't true. Couldn't be true. Didn't make sense. You can feel their concerned gazes on you every now and again. It was getting annoying. You were the only one still looking, still believing. It's been five days since he had gone missing.   
You suddenly get up, going for the door. "___, where are you going?" Oikawa frowns at your back.  
"I'm going to look again." You state.  
"Okay… Could you at least eat something first?... Please?" Osamu pleads softly.  
"I'm not hungry." You murmur before going out.   
Osamu crouches down, putting his face in his hands. "___ has to be hungry though… It's been five days..." He murmurs in distress.  
"I-I got them to eat a protein bar earlier." Bokuto rubs his back. "So that's something at least."  
"It's not nearly enough though.." Osamu murmurs.  
"I'm going to look again too. At this rate if we don't find anything on Tendo… I don't think ___ will keep coming back." Atsumu says, pulling on a jacket.

'They're worried about you.' Tendo's voice hums in your mind. This kept happening too, maybe it was your mind's way to keep you from totally losing your shit.   
"They should worry about themselves. The tournament is in three days."   
'You're not eating or sleeping.'  
"I'm fine. I'm not hungry."  
'Doesn't mean you don't need to eat.'  
"I can't think of food when I'm so worried about you…" You grit your teeth, rubbing your forehead as you check your phone again. "I need to see you…"  
You frown, reaching the destroyed house and heading down to the tunnels. You had gone through the sewers with Iwaizumi that night, almost got lost but found nothing.  
'Doesn't make sense… They should've at least found a body…' You frown heavily. But he wasn't dead. You could feel it. "So where are you?"  
He had seen this coming. He must've been prepared. But with his injuries what could he have done? He had a backpack with him that day.   
"Why did you have that backpack…?"  
'It was a lifeline. Until help came.'  
"Who would you get to help you?"   
'Know any healers?' His voice echoes in your head now. You stop briefly, blinking for a moment.  
"Kiyoko and Kita… But you only have Kita's number…" You murmur, taking out your phone to call him.   
'___, I haven't heard from you… How are you?…' Kita answers after the first ring.  
"... I… I'm sorry, have you heard from Tendo?" You ask, stopping at the hole you had made, peering around.  
'Not since he came to pick up the new device and canisters… Maybe a week ago?' He responds. 'Did something happen? He left something here for you actually. Told me to wait until you called.'  
"Really? Okay, I'll be over soon. Thanks Kita." You breathe and hang up. You look over the hole again before deciding to climb out of it, pulling yourself up, finding yourself in a familiar empty lot across from a small shack like house.   
The tree that loomed over you was one you and Suna used to play in. You stare up at it for a moment before looking around and starting for the train station.   
"So you had another K.K on you… Must've been in the backpack… That should've kept you from dying for a bit..." You put a knuckle to your lips. Did he leave on his own? If he had he couldn't have gone far. Or did someone help him?  
The others at Kuri had helped with a few searches. But they soon lost hope for him too. They kept saying that if Dagger was involved he wasn't coming back. You grit your teeth. They all gave up so easily. It bothered you so badly. You reach the station and board the train as it is ready to leave.   
Not long after the train departs, your phone rings. You check it and frown quietly before answering it. "Hey Kiyoomi…"  
'Where are you? The twins, just called Oikawa, said they followed your scent to check on you and it led them to the train station?' He says.  
"Kita says Tendo left me something at his house. So I'm going." You shrug.  
'___… You know Dagger's still after you…' He sighs lightly.  
"If they wanna come get me, they better bring an army. Because I'll wipe them all out for what they did to Tendo." You whisper eyes narrowing at the floor.  
'... Please think rationally… Come back after you're done… Please? We're all worried about you.'  
"And I'm worried about Tendo. So you understand what I'm going through right now."  
'I do… But you keep pushing me away when I try to get near you… I just… I want to be by your side when you're hurting… So please come home… Come back to me.' He pleads quietly. You shift frowning heavily.  
"I… I can't. Not without making sure he's alive… I need to find him, Kiyoomi."   
'Then take me with you.'  
"I… I don't want to. You need to focus on the tournament. Don't-"  
'How can I focus on anything when you're out there wandering alone!?' His voice raises abruptly, making you pause in surprise. 'I… I'm sorry…'   
"It's… It's okay… I love you too. I'll come back… After I find him."  
'... Dammit ___! Would you just-' You turn off your phone, stuffing it in your pocket  
'Oh…' Tendo's voice whispers.  
"What?"  
'That was cold. Kiyoomi is worried about you.'   
"They should be worried about you… Why is it that I'm the only one?"   
'... You're the only one that loved me…'  
"Don't say that…"  
'You see the truth right?'  
"Wakatoshi has been depressed too… I think he's been looking for you too." But mostly he just seemed lost whenever you looked at him.   
There's no response at that so you close your eyes. Shutting your mind down for the time being, waiting for the train to reach its destination. Halfway there, a tremor shakes the train, just before it lurches, sending you into the door as it suddenly falls over, derailing and sliding across the ground.   
You groan and get up after it stops, removing your glove to burst the train car. You straighten, stepping over people to make your way to the front of the train where an angry villain with a rock mutation quirk was tearing up the tracks and yelling all kinds of things.   
"Excuse me. Could you… Just not?" You ask him.   
"Fuck off." He throws a clump of earth at you, which you calmly burst in response, making him pause in surprise.  
"No. You fuck off. I'm busy and you just slowed down progress. Now put the tracks back and get lost before I turn you into dust." You warn him in annoyance. He shifts, carefully placing the twisted and destroyed tracks back before swiftly running away.   
An applause sounds at your back and you glance back at the passengers praising you.  
'Wouldn't give you the time of day if you needed help.' Midnight's computer voice sounds now at the back of your mind. You give a wave before continuing down the track.   
"That's right… He's gone too…" You mutter.  
'I'm surprised. Are you sad for me ___?'   
"Of course not. You're a bad guy." You scoff, wiping at your eyes. "You killed a lot of people."  
'But not you.'  
"You took my friend's memories."  
'But I didn't kill them.'  
"Why is that?"  
'For you.'  
"Why though?"  
'Because I love you more than anything in this world. You know that, right ___?' Midnight's voice fades into Tendo's and your hands instinctively slap onto your cheeks hard.  
"No… They're different! Different!" You hiss out.   
'Then why are we both gone?'  
"Because of Dagger!"  
'At the same time?'  
"Could have been! Rakurai was there too!"  
'What timing too.'  
"Tendo's quirk is future sight! He couldn't have…"  
'His quirk is a time quirk.'  
"No… That's…"  
'Why did the area you burst open up the sewers?' That makes you pause.   
"Why the sewers?"  
'To give Death a way in. To deliver a final message.'  
"No. You're not dead." You start to tear up. "I don't care if you are a villain or not. You're my best friend."  
There's no response now, but that was fine. You spend the next hour or so calming yourself, not wanting to alarm Kita when you finally get to his house.  
You knock on the door and he swiftly opens it, eyes widening slightly before pulling you into a tight hug. "I must look like hell for this greeting…" You comment.   
"Sorry… Come in…" He gently pulls you inside. He takes you to the kitchen where his grandmother is preparing lunch. She pauses, looking over at you as Kita brings you to sit down. "Now please… Talk to me." Kita murmurs.   
It's like your mind went on a rerun of everything as you told them. Tears coming back up and making you fight them down throughout the story. Finally you finish, looking down at the table.  
"What… What am I going to do if he's really gone?" You whisper shakily. "He's always been by my side… I don't want to… Leave him…"   
"Then you need to go hunting." His grandmother says, pushing a plate of food toward you. "But a starving wolf cannot hunt for long. So eat, my dear… Get your strength up."   
'Listen to her. You can't find me if you die now.' Tendo's voice whispers. You nod and gratefully dig in, but it tasted like nothing really.   
After you finish, Kita hesitantly hands you an envelope. "This is what he left for you."  
"... It's really unsettling to get a note from him from before this happened…" You frown lightly, there's something else shifting inside. You go outside to open it up, peering in and immediately tearing up. "Dammit Tendo…" You swallow, carefully pulling out the thin titanium chain, with a titanium and diamond ring hanging on it.  
'Do you like it?'  
"I love it." You whisper, sinking to your knees and putting the necklace on. You look at the ring for a few moments before kissing it and opening the note inside.   
'___, I'm sorry. I know what's going to happen, and no matter how many routes I go through, it's all coming up with either you dying or pitch black. Which probably means my future runs out. So I'm going to take a pitch black route. I'll fight it as long as I can. But I don't know if I will make it. So I'm leaving this ring for you. I've had it for a while now… In case I never get the chance to give it to you in person. You know what it is right? I loved you, more than anything in this world… So don't worry about me. You're all I ever truly cared about. Be happy. And I'm sorry I can't keep those promises.'  
You stare at the blurry page, tears streaming down your cheeks. "No… No… Just tell me where to find you… I'm not going to accept this…" You sob, bringing an arm over your face. You grit your teeth and calm yourself.  
'How will you find me then?'  
"Death's the last person that saw you. I'm going to find him." You breathe, getting up, folding the note and putting it in your pocket. It felt like cold water had been dumped over you, making you feel an odd calm.   
'And you'll find him how?'  
"I'll just ask another villain." You mutter, going inside. "Kita. Thank you." You tell him. He shifts, seeming worried still.   
"Stay safe. Wherever you go." He requests softly.  
"I will." You nod.   
"Here Wolf." You look over as his grandmother brings you a backpack. "You're going on a hunting trip now, aren't you? Take this with you." She smiles as you take it. "And remember. A calm lone wolf can take on a hungry bear."   
"... Thank you Grandma…" You murmur, hugging the back pack and giving a bow. She kisses your forehead in response, cupping your cheek.  
"Stay strong and go forward. Your pack will wait for your return." She breathes.  
"Right. I will." You nod before going out. They watch you go, Kita shifting slightly with unease.  
"Do not worry Shinsuke the wolf will return soon. Have faith." She pats his back softly.  
"Does ___ have to be alone?" Kita frowns softly.  
"There are some paths that are seen better when you're alone."   
'Where to now?' Tendo's voice asks.  
"To Nohebi, Daishou mentioned a villain group is building in the city. So that'll be the best place to ask around for Death."  
'So far…'  
"I don't know where the villain groups are near Raizu. And if Midnight's dead I can't really see him staying in that area."  
'Alright… You should call Kiyoomi back.'   
"He's going to scold me…"  
'He's going to be worried if you don't. You should just go back.'  
"Not before I find you." You frown, turning your phone back on. It starts to vibrate violently with missed calls and texts.   
'... You should've seen that coming.'  
"... I didn't." You sigh, glancing through them before calling back Kiyoomi. It barely rang before he picked it up.  
'I…'  
"I'm sorry for hanging up on you… I just didn't see the point in arguing when we're both stubborn." You tell him.   
'... Yeah… You're not coming back are you?'  
"I need to find Death. He's the last one to see Tendo."   
'Oh no… That sounds dangerous.'  
"Well… I'm feeling pretty dangerous right now myself. So I'm sure it'll be fine…"  
'Don't forget your goal…'  
"Suddenly that goal doesn't seem very important… But don't worry… I'll be fine… Let Samu know I'm eating again… I know it's been really worrying him. Have Bokuto talk to Wakatoshi and get him motivated again. Also, tell Bokuto I'll make it up to him when I get back… And Kiyoomi?"  
'... Yes?'  
"I said it earlier, but it was a bad time so… Listen carefully. I love you…"   
'I… I love you too… So… I'll wait. I'll wait for you. Come back to me soon…'  
"I'll try. I need to make another call now." You tell him.  
'Okay… Call me soon? I don't care what time…'  
"I will." You breathe. "Talk to you later."   
'Talk to you later.' He breathes and you both hang up.   
'Awww! You both finally said it!'  
"Seemed like the right time since he's so worried."  
'Of course he is. I would be too.'  
"I know you would be." You breathe messaging Daishou about the whereabouts of the villain group. After a few moments Daishou calls. "Hey boss…"  
'You know. I just got a message from Kuroo to keep an eye out for you… Are you coming here? What's up?' He asks lightly when he answers.  
"I'm… Looking for Tendo. And the last person to see him was Death. So I need a villain to tell me where he might have gone or just get a hold of him." You murmur  
'That's.. Sound logic… So you just want to walk into a villain's hideout and ask about another villain?' He asks carefully.  
"Yes." You nod.  
'... I'll get my suit.'  
"I-I'll be fine. I'm not really good company right now." You tell him.  
'I wasn't expecting you to be… I know what's going on ___… So I need to see you anyway. You're my partner and I want to make sure you're okay.' He tells you softly. You blink and shift, glancing down at yourself briefly.  
"I'm warning you right now it's not good." You frown feeling self conscious.  
'Alright. I figured that much. But your worst doesn't scare me so I'll be fine… You're on the train now? How long?' He asks.  
"Another hour I think." You glance at the time.  
'Alright, I'll wait for you.' He breathes, hanging up. You blink and relax.  
'You got a good boss…'  
"I was really lucky to have found him." You breathe. "Like I was lucky to have you.."  
'You thought that was luck?'  
"What else would it be?"  
'Destiny.' Tendo's voice changes into Midnight's then and you swallow.   
"Fine. But if that's it then… You should still be here."   
'If you really thought I was gone you wouldn't be still looking.'  
"I probably would've lost it by now."   
'You uh… Should look around real quick.' You pause and glance about to find some concerned gazes on you.  
"Ah well. It's better than the other thing." You sigh. You stay quiet for the rest of the train ride.  
As he said, Daishou was waiting for you when the train arrived. You rub your cheek self consciously as he blinks, looking you over before smiling lightly.  
"I've seen worse. You're looking better than I thought." He greets, reaching over and touching your cheek. "You haven't been eating huh?"  
"I ate before I came here. Grandma talked me into it." You tell him.  
"Good. That's the first step…" He says as you both head into the city. "I… Haven't told Mika. She would be really worried. And I figured you would prefer this."   
"I do… Thanks. I rather see her smiling than giving me the same look as my dormmates… Even Kita made me feel like I had turned into a zombie for a moment…" You sigh.  
"Well compared to your peppy bright self, this is a bit worrisome. But expecting that right now isn't very realistic. I can't imagine what you're going through, but I can imagine it feels awful." He looks ahead, keeping his chin up.   
"It did at first. But now I don't feel anything. Can't taste good and my mind is a vortex of all kinds of… Dangerous thoughts…" You sigh. "I just…"  
"Need to see your best friend." He finishes for you. "I get it. You don't know if he's alive and everyone's put him down as deceased in their heads. I wanted to punch Kuroo when he told me…" He growls before looking to you with a frown. "So it's not a surprise that you came alone… But as your boss. I'm going to make sure you do what you need to safely."   
"Thanks Daishou." You relax a bit, almost smiling.  
"And… Regardless of what happens. It'll be our secret." He adds darkly.  
"Alright."


	52. A Brief Escape

"So this is it?" You murmur as you both survey the warehouse.   
"Yeah, I keep an eye on them from time to time. Their numbers have increased by ten since last time I surveyed the place." He murmurs, tugging his hoodie slightly. The movement catches your eye and you catch a glint of scales beneath the hoodie.   
"... So am I going to get to see it?" You ask, making him look at you. "Your suit?" You lean toward him with a curious head tilt. You felt at ease with him there, optimistic even.   
"Maybe. You want to see it?" He raises an eyebrow.  
"Yeah. Mika showed me that one painting. You looked really good in it." You murmur.  
"Did she send you the pic of the… Um underwater one?" He asks quietly, cheeks darkening a bit.  
"No?" You tilt your head to the other side.   
"Ah I see… ahem. We should focus. The leader is probably there now." He focuses on the warehouse.   
"Alright. Here we go." You stretch and you both leave the hiding spot, approaching the warehouse. You share a glance before entering, feeling Daishou's tail wrap around your waist loosely. The group inside pauses, all looking over in confusion at you two. "Hello. Anyone know where Death might be?"  
"Depends who's asking." The leader responds as one of the underlings approaches you, looking you over like a piece of meat.  
"Aren't you a cutie… You wanna see Death huh? I can help you if you wanna do something for me?" He purrs, tipping your chin. Daishou's tail tightens a bit at that.   
"Don't touch my partner." Daishou growls, pulling you back slightly.  
"Sadrick I keep telling you not to antagonize people whenever they show up." The leader says in annoyance.  
"Oops. I made the boyfriend angry." The underling snickers, pausing and watching you as you bite the finger of your glove to free your right hand. "Oooh~ that's nice. So you're into the idea huh?-" Your right hand swipes his face, bursting him. Daishou relaxes slightly, watching you carefully as the villains tense.  
"Sorry. I'm not in the mood for people like him." You say, holding your glove in your left hand as you and Daishou move forward. "I'm Little Destroyer. And I'm only going to ask this one more time. Where's Death?"   
The leader shifts, looking you over calmly before pulling out his phone. "I don't know him. But I know someone who does." He responds.   
"That's a bit too easy…" Daishou mutters.  
"I know a dangerous quirk when I see it. And I know someone looking for personal answers when I see them." The leader responds, putting the phone to his ear. "Hey. It's Stone. We got someone looking for Death here. You got a location?... Johzen? No exact location huh? That's okay. Thanks." He hangs up and you look at Daishou.  
"It's north of here, maybe a twenty minute drive." He tells you.  
"Johzen is sort of a villain recovery area." The leader says, regaining your attention. "There's a bar where villains gather too. He might just show up there. It's called The Rising Sun bar."  
"Thank you. Does that mean you don't mind I just took out one of your underlings?" You inquire.  
"Eh… I warned him a hundred times that would happen so I'm not surprised." He shrugs. "But listen. You ever need a group to join up with, you're welcome here."   
"I'll keep that in mind." You nod before heading out with Daishou, slipping on your glove. "Okay. Johzen…" You murmur but his tail pulls you along with him as he yawns.  
"Tomorrow." He tells you. "You haven't slept in a while right? I'm ordering you to bed."   
"Eh? But you said Mika shouldn't see me like this." You frown, looking at his tail.   
"She won't. Luckily I have a place prepared for this." He says with a small confident smile.  
"Huh? I'm concerned by that statement…" You huff. He stops and turns to you, pinching your cheeks.  
"What's with the lack of faith? I'm not gonna just toss you in a dumpster and tell you to sleep." He scoffs. You blink at him, a laugh bubbling up in your chest.  
"Heh. Sorry boss." You smile softly. He pauses in surprise before smiling warmly.  
"That's the first time you've smiled since you got here…" He breathes, shoulders slumping in relief as he touches your cheek. "Come on." He adds heading off again. His tail was still wrapped around you. The scales glint and shimmer beautifully in the moonlight, but it also holds an ominous tone at the same time.   
'So pretty.' You think, fingertips gliding over it gently. He freezes, tail swiftly disappearing under his hoodie. "Ah… Come back.." You lift the back of his hoodie. He stiffens pulling it back down and sending you a look. "It was cute. Why did you take it away?" You tilt your head as his cheeks darken.  
"I meant to release you sooner, but it was nice so I forgot." He says looking ahead as you join his side.   
"It was?" You inquire.  
"Yeah… It's kinda like holding hands. But somehow… More comforting?" He tilts his head. "And I keep my hands."  
"I see… So that was because that whole situation had you uneasy." You guess.  
"Yeah… And it's just easier to pull you behind me and escape that way." He breathes.   
"You're not going to mention it?" You murmur rubbing your cheek. He peers at you for a moment.  
"I wanted to beat his ass for touching you and suggesting such things. It didn't bother me in the slightest… It's just.. Amazing how easy your quirk made it look." He breathes. "I thought the same back at the mountain. Of course that one sent chills down my spine, but I admired that power too." You blink and look down at that, even after that he could still praise you.   
"Thank you for coming with me then. I was worried about that…" You tell him. "And this is the first time I have felt somewhat normal since…" Your voice falls. He reaches over, arm wrapping around your neck and pulling you into his side.  
"I believe in you. You'll find him." He breathes. You blink tearing up and hugging him in response, hiding your face in his neck. He rubs your back, leaning his cheek on your head. "I'm here."   
"Thank you." You murmur. After a while you reach a familiar alleyway and you straighten up, glancing between him and the old radio station.  
"Yeah. You guessed it." He chuckles. "I got a room done by myself since I figured I would end up staying the night here every now and then once I get started." He smiles.  
"Heh. Awesome boss." You smile again, his snake tail swishing behind him slightly. 'Ah… He's so cute when it's about this place.'   
"Come on." He breathes leading you inside. Up to the top floor into a sort of empty room with a start of a bedroom. A bed, nightstand with a lamp on it, even an alarm clock that sat on a small dresser. Your eyes are drawn to the window and you go over to look over part of the city. It was a beautiful view really, making you exhale quietly in content. Daishou watches you with a small smile before pulling off his hoodie. "I have some clothes here already you're free to borrow."  
You look back pausing as you look over the dark green scaly skinsuit, glinting against the sliver of moonlight that peeks in. "Are those your scales?" You go to him, touching the scales on his chest softly.  
"Mhm. If I go full snake it's protection for my soft scales." He breathes, blushing lightly as your hands run over his chest in awe. He endures it for a while before grabbing your wrists. "Okay… T-That's enough." He murmurs when you pause and blink at him.  
"They feel so cool though." You whisper. He chuckles lightly.   
"I'm glad you think so but let's get ready for… Bed…" He suddenly seems both uneasy and tense, peering at the bed. 'I did not think this through…' Was the expression he was currently making as a blush crawls onto his face.   
"Okay. So I'll change and you figure out what you want to do." You pull away taking off the backpack Grandma had given you, going through it quietly. Another K.K and a bunch of canisters. A bento box, clothes, snacks. "Oh, I have clothes in here…" You murmur taking them out.  
"You didn't know?" He peers over your shoulder and you shake your head.  
"I wasn't prepared, Grandma made me prepared." You answer peering at him.  
"There's shower rooms on the ground floor." He tells you.  
"In a radio station?" You raise an eyebrow.  
"I'm starting to think it was an agency before the radio station… I'll go down with you so you're not alone. The water should work fine but the water heater might not." He straightens. And goes to the closet, opening it and going through a duffle bag. He pulls out two small electric lanterns, and two towels.   
"You really are prepared to stay here." You comment and he pauses.  
"Is it weird?" He asks quietly.  
"No… It's cute. And makes sense since you plan to live here at some point later on." You smile. He nods smiling a bit before grabbing some clothes for himself and leading you back down to the ground floor to the shower rooms.   
"I'll wait in this locker room so I'm nearby." He tells you, handing you a lantern and towel.  
"Okay." You nod and go into the shower area, finding a nearby stall, putting the lantern on one wall and placing your towel and clothes on the other, undressing then starting the water. It felt lukewarm, but it was better than cold.   
"... Shit. I have soap. Be right back." He calls suddenly. You pause and chuckle slightly since you had forgotten too. This wasn't so bad. Kinda felt adventurous really. "I'm back. You uh.. Want me to toss it to you?" He inquires.  
"I feel like you'll hit me in the head if you do… So… Please don't." You tell him. He pauses and curses quietly.   
"Alright, I-Im coming in then.." He manages, carefully easing in and covering his eyes, tail feeling his way to you. He passes you the soap before scurrying out.  
"... You make me want a tail." You comment, starting to wash up.  
"I do like having one, I admit… I don't know how other people function without one." He responds thoughtfully.  
"Well yours is really useful, the twin's tails can't really do much besides tell me when they're happy." You hum. "Yours does too and it's seriously the cutest thing."  
"It… It does?" Apparently this was news to him.  
"Mhm. Before we came in it was swishing about because you were excited, so cute." You comment. He grumbles something and at the end you hear the word cute. "I heard that." You say just to tease him. There's a long pause at that.  
"... Liar!" He retorts, making you chuckle. You soon finish and dry off before getting dressed.   
"Okay. Your turn." You hum going into the locker room with your stuff.  
"You can head up and sleep." He tells you.   
"But what if someone comes to prep on you though..?" You whisper. He pauses blinking at you before chuckling.   
"Then they'll regret it." He hisses, forked tongue flicking out. You pause at that and blush lightly, looking down. "You have the best reactions when I do that."   
"Sh-Shut up and go shower. I'll guard you." You grumble looking away. He shifts closer, arm coming around your neck leaning near your ear.   
"Do you like it?" He asks lightly, making your heartbeat pick up.   
'Change subject! Change the subject! Your mind panics for a moment before you hug him, making him pause in surprise. "Now I can bite you." You breathe making him stiffen.  
"No. No no no. I was playing." He gasps trying to pull. You smile at that and release him. He sighs lightly before blinking. "That was… Good. Good job." He smiles with some pride at you. "Though your response tells me what I wanted to know." He chuckles. You scoff and stick your tongue out at him in response. He flicks his tongue back before heading to showers. You sigh quietly and sit down.   
"What's the point of changing the subject if you still figure it out?" You ask.  
"Well, if you had given me more of a shock that would've completely slipped my mind." He responds and you hear the water turn back in.  
"So I should've just bit you." You guess.  
"I'm not going to encourage that. But it definitely would've killed my focus." He answers. "Seriously though, it's not recommended."  
"You surprised me I didn't have many ideas." You frown.   
"Yeah and there's not really an escape when people are that close." He states. "If you're the one doing it you can really manipulate them to answer whatever question you have. Unless they're actively working to change the subject."  
"What if they surprise me?" You inquire.  
"Just take a few steps back and move to intimidation. With your quirk that would be easiest… Like you did earlier. A few of them became hostile, but mostly, everyone was wary and didn't dare move." He points out. "Fear spreads, especially in half baked groups like that. If there's no trust it's very easy to succumb to chaos or fall into darkness."  
"Maybe that's why everything feels brighter now…" You comment with a small smile. Daishou pauses in surprise at that before smiling softly.  
"Maybe…" He agrees thoughtfully.  
He soon finishes and gets dressed, returning to the locker room as you yawn slightly. "My sleeping schedule is so screwed right now." You murmur, pausing as his tail wraps around your waist.  
"We'll do something about that. It only takes twenty minutes to get to Johzen, so tomorrow you can sleep in, the bars open up later anyway." He says guiding you back up to the room.   
"But.. I wanna find him soon." You murmur rubbing your eyes as he puts everything up.   
"I know. But Johzen is more dangerous. Those villains that go there don't care anymore or have lost hope. They'll fight you, probably just for looking at them wrong." He says as you both stop to look at the bed. "... What… What side do you want?" He inquires.  
"I'll uh.. Take this one." You point. He nods and you both carefully crawl in, settling in quietly. Why did this feel awkward all of a sudden..? "M-Maybe I should sleep in the-" His tail wraps around you as you move to get up suddenly, pulling you back quickly and into his chest. You blush eyes locking with his, a surprised expression on both of your faces.  
"Th-This is fine, just sleep here." He tells you, sounding tense.  
"Daishou don't act like this isn't bothering you." You frown.  
"It's not… I don't mind this.." He breathes, arms coming around you. "S-so just sleep."   
"O-okay." You breathe, hiding your face in his chest. He relaxes at that and smiles a bit.  
"Mika would be twitching right now if she saw us." He murmurs.  
"Or gushing so quietly." You snicker both of you relaxing at that.  
"I hope you can sleep well tonight.." He whispers, rubbing your back. It was soothing here, clouding your head to hide your worries and stress for a moment. He was amazing to be able to do so.  
"I'm lucky to have you as a boss…" You breathe. "No one else has been able to calm me like this."   
"I'm lucky to have you. I'm really motivated to start this agency with you. So I'm going to be as understanding and supportive of you. No matter what." He responds quietly. You smile and close your eyes, hugging him gratefully at that and steadily drifting off. He peers at you once you're asleep, pressing a kiss to your temple as more of his tail wraps around you as he follows suit.

"Breakfast." He hums coming in with a bag as your eyes open sleepily. "You slept in later than I thought, hope it was a good sleep." He murmurs sitting on the edge of the bed and watching you sit up, rubbing your eyes before stretching.  
"It was. I feel really good actually." You rub your cheek and smile. He blinks and smiles softly.   
"Well, you are looking better than you arrived, now eat some of this before you start turning back into a zombie." He says, handing you a bag.  
"You didn't seem very worried about that though." You smile a bit, pulling out the breakfast sandwich and starting to eat.  
"I kinda want a zombie type at our agency." He puts a knuckle to his chin. "Oh and I want to give the agency a name since it might become home to a lot of heroes."   
"Green Mamba doesn't feel right?" You inquire.  
"Not really." He tilts his head.  
"Well as long as we're keeping the snake look… How about Snake Den?" You suggest.  
"That sounds awesome, let's go with that." He nods smiling.  
"Alright. Glad you liked it." You smile too and soon finish eating. "Thanks for getting me breakfast."  
"No problem." He says and gets up. "I had to get you something anyway, before we head to Johzen." He says, going out and picking up a suitcase from the hall, bringing it to you. "I messaged Kuroo and Bokuto flew it over for you." He sets it down.  
"You're seriously the best." You smile before taking it as he steps out to let you get dressed into your suit. You pause, looking at your reflection in the window. 'It really is a lot like yours.. Tendo.' You think before pulling on your hoodie over it and zipping it up. You go out after grabbing the backpack, meeting Daishou's gaze.  
"Let's go." He nods and you both head down stairs, pausing as his phone goes off. "Ah. Good morning Mika-chan." He says picking it up. "Hm? You're heading to where?... That's a bit far on your own…" He frowns in concern and you chuckle quietly, nudging him to get his attention.  
'Go.' You mouth. He frowns troubled at that.  
"W-When are you going? This afternoon?" He checks the time and grimaces. He was clearly fighting with himself on this. You put a knuckle to your chin in thought as you watch him before leaning up and kissing his cheek, making him freeze in shock. "I… I will be over soon to escort you then." He manages blinking back. "Y-Yes see you there." He hums before hanging up. He sends you a frown, pinching your cheeks.  
"Ow! You were being indecisive so I cleared your mind!" You gasp touching his hands.  
"That was both dirty and clever!" He growls.   
"Thank you very much! You're teaching me well!" You declare, making him pause before chuckling, releasing your cheeks and cupping them instead, forehead touching yours as his tail swishes behind him.  
"Heh… I'm teaching you too well…" He smiles thoughtfully before meeting your gaze and pausing suddenly letting go and straightening up. "S-sorry… Guess now you'll be heading to Johzen on your own… Be careful okay?" He nods. "Come back in one piece. Got it?"  
"Yes boss." You give a nod and he shifts, pulling you into a hug.  
"It was fun having you here… Good luck." He murmurs as you hug him back.  
"Thanks for being my escape for a bit. I'll see you later." You breathe before heading out, pulling out your phone and loading up the map, finding a route to Johzen. "Alright. Let's go find Death…"  
'Sounds bad with no context…' Tendo's voice hums.  
"It really does…" You smile a bit heading off.  
It takes a bit, but you reach Johzen sometime after noon. It's best to describe it as a ghetto area. Like the city wasn't funded enough and some buildings were in disrepair.   
'This looks like a fun place.'   
"Focus, we need the Rising Sun bar…" You breathe peering about as you start through the town.   
'Well if it's a place where villains gather… Somewhere not in plain sight.' He breathes and a light breeze against your cheek makes you look down an alleyway.   
"Right." You breathe going down the alleyways, somehow ending up at a staircase that led down to the bar. "I'm concerned how fast it took me to find this place…" You mutter adjusting your hoodie before easing down the stairs and into the bar. It was as dark as you thought it would be, a thick layer of cigar smoke sitting against the ceiling. It was a bit spacious, not many people sitting around at the moment. If Death was here you would probably smell him already.  
'Guess I'll just wait.' You think, sitting at the bar.  
"Kinda young to look so troubled." The bartender comments, setting a glass in front of you.   
"My week has been managed by the devil." You respond as you sniff the glass warily before sipping the soda.   
"Oh. I get it. Those are the bad ones… You seem like you've lost someone important." He murmurs. You pause, blinking at him and tilting your head.  
"You're using your quirk to get information from me." You breathe and he straightens.  
"Not an amateur huh? Don't worry, once you're aware of it I can't make you say anything." He smiles in amusement.  
"You didn't really need to use it. I'm an awful liar anyway." You chuckle. "I lost my best friend. The last person to see him is supposed to be in this area."   
"Ah. You're the reason Stone called." He nods. "Looking for Death… He was here last night, he's pretty down." He puts a knuckle to his chin, closing his eyes. "Actually. The guy might be in trouble. See, a new group in town took a shine to him, and they all left together."  
"Where?" You get up now.  
"The harbor warehouse two blocks away, east of here. Be careful kid." He tells you.   
"Thanks." You breathe hurrying out. You head to the harbor, finding the warehouse easily. You swallow and go to the side, peering through the windows. At the center was a tank, where a familiar shape sits inside.   
"He's really not resisting… Should we sell him to Dagger or Claw?" One of the villains inside says.   
"Let's question him about Midnight some more. If that one's still alive we could sell him too." Another breathes. You remove your glove, breathing slowly. The wall lifts up into particles as you step forward. The villains tense and look over as your head leans to the side.  
"What the fuck did you just say about my best friend?"


	53. Ghost

You didn't remember what happened. Only that you now stood in front of Death as he looks up at you in clear surprise.   
"Y-You… Uh… Okay there ___?" His careful question makes you blink, mind calming.  
"... Are you hurt.?" You ask peering around the now empty lot.   
"Nah…" He gets to his feet, looking at you carefully. "Good to see your eyes focused again. Those you had just a moment ago were terrifying…" He adds.  
"Yeah… They mentioned selling Tendo and I just lost it." You pull your glove back on. He pauses at that, peering at you.  
"They said Midnight though…" He says carefully.  
"I know." You respond bluntly and he straightens. "My mind is putting a lot of things together since it's so broken and messy right now." You tap your temple. "So let's go to the bar. They have food right? You should eat."  
"Ah… Um… Okay…" He follows you looking lost. "Why.. Are you here exactly?"   
"Not now. Food first. You smell like death and alcohol." You wave your hand.  
"I-I can't help the death one." He murmurs. "It doesn't bother ya?"   
"Not anymore." You breathe.  
"Oh…" He looks at the ground as he moves to your side, peering at you carefully.  
"He wouldn't really be happy about that you know. He called you guys friends." You state as you near the bar. He pauses at that, looking at you in surprise.   
"Ah… Sorry." He looks back down as you both go down the stairs and inside, going to sit in the corner. You glance at the bartender and he smiles, sending a nod as he prepares something for you two.   
"Good place. I can see why villains are attracted to it." You murmur.  
"Yeah, Silver is great." He agrees, glancing at you. The bartender soon brings over some food and you give him some money, not sure how much any of it was.  
"I see you went and got him. Hope it wasn't too much trouble." He comments.  
"Apparently not if I can't remember it." You shrug. "Thank you Silver."  
"No problem… Don't go blacking out while you're in here, okay?" He waves as he returns to the bar. Death pauses and hesitantly digs into the food.  
"Are you nervous around me or something? That's not like you." You comment peering at him.   
"I'm just tryna figure out what's going on." He assures.   
"Okay then. I'll just get to it… He's not dead. So where is he?" You meet his gaze calmly.  
"I… I don't know… What happened was…"

*~*~*~*

He stopped at the edge of town that morning, looking over his shoulder. "Thanks for the warning boss. I'll be back soon." He breathes before turning to head off, but he can't take another stop, something bothered him.  
'Why did he know about Dagger? Did he research me? That couldn't have been it. He only looks into threats around-' Death straightens up, a chill running down his spine. "___…" He realizes, suddenly turning back. He lifts a manhole cover, jumping down, black water hastily taking him through the tunnels.   
A hole in the tunnel catches his eye and he peers in as blood spews from Tendo's arm, making him hit the wall. He was already covered in blood at this point, most of his armor had been melted away.  
"Tch! Fucker!" Malcolm hisses out, holding his eye.  
"You can't kill ___ with half your power." Tendo smirks, only to get kicked in the head by the blond. Black water suddenly rushes the group, smashing them into the door and keeping pressure on them so he can run to Tendo as the redhead attempts to get up only to drop back down.   
"Boss!" Death kneels beside him worriedly. Tendo looks at him but before he can speak there's a ripping sound from the door and the black water pinning the enemy rushes out. "D-Don't worry boss! I-I'll get you outta here!" He moves to pick him up but Tendo forcefully pushes him away.   
"There's no time Kobalt." He hisses out, eyes barely focusing. "Rakurai and ___ are going to… Need you."   
"They can survive a little longer than you can boss-"  
"No!" Tendo snaps, gripping the other's shoulders as tight as he can with his weakening strength. "___'s why I live. Do you understand Kobalt?" Tears come to his eyes. "___ will be fine without me! So tell them this! Tell them I got away! That I went into hiding and not to… Not to worry… Please Kobalt… Before I can't move anymore. Promise to go save my best friend.." He whispers, barely hanging on as his head rocks from side to side, the blood leaving him was starting to slow.   
"... I promise. Ya damn fool." Death sniffs, black tears leaving his eyes as he touches his forehead to Tendo's, the gray starting to come to his skin as he suddenly gets up and runs back into the sewer to gather up his stored black water.  
After saving you, he came back to attempt to save Tendo but he was nowhere to be found.

~*~*~*~

He had started crying again as he told you everything. "He didn't deserve that! He's a good kid!" He sniffs. You blink reaching over and bringing his head to your shoulder. He pauses before hugging you. "I searched for 'im but I don't know where he coulda gone… And I couldn't ask ya, because you were out and surrounded by yer mates..."   
You frown, rubbing his head as your mind hits another dead end. "Damn… So is Rakurai alive?…"  
"Yeah. He healed up a day later thanks ta that device you gave 'im… But the lad had vengeance in his eyes and went ta find Dagger." He pulls back frowning heavily.  
"Can you call him? I think I want in on that one." You breathe.   
"Ah… Sure… Guess I'll go with ya." He nods before making the call and handing you the phone.  
'Death-san I told you, you can't talk me out of this one.'   
"Then how about we join you?" You ask lightly. He pauses at that before a gasp leaves him.  
'Is that my honey!?' He gushes now.  
"This is ___.” You correct, shaking your head. "Did you find the base yet?"  
'Of course. It's pretty lame though, the whole office building looks and everyone inside is dressed like businessmen.' He tells you.   
"Oh yeah? Wanna meet up and get rid of the eyesore?" You smirk a bit, fingers tapping on the table. "After I ask about Tendo of course."  
'You… You wanna meet up? On a destruction date? I love you. Please marry me.' He gasps happily.  
"Give me a location Rakurai." You sigh.   
'I'm in Killiko.' He answers 'I'll wait at the train station!'   
With that you hang up and look at Death. "I don't know what I'll do if there's no information about him there… But. I'm not giving up until I see him." You breathe getting up.  
"Yer will is strong. I'll help ya out as much as I can." He gets up as well.   
"Good. Let's go make an appointment for payback." You lick your lips making him pause.   
"Y-Yes boss." He says following you out. You climb the stairs, hearing a maniacal laughing from the street.   
"Should probably do something about that first." You mutter going to the street to find a silver haired man holding a woman hostage in a plasma forcefield.  
"As punishment! I shall humiliate you in front of everyone here." The man laughs as she cries and tries to crawl away only to have him stomp on her back, laughing obnoxiously.  
"Whatta bastard. Ya should treat ladies better…" Death huffs. "Can ya burst it?" He asks you.   
"Nope. The particles in plasma are too energized, it'll burst my hand if I touch it." You frown. "We need lightning or electricity."  
"Sorry. I don't carry tasers… Rakurai woulda been good for this." Death sighs.   
"Whoa. What's going on there? Is she okay?" A familiar voice makes you look back. "Oh hey cutie, been a while." Terushima smiles at you.   
"Death… I have an idea." You breathe.  
"Ya know. When ya said you had an idea. I was expecting something… Not this. I was not expecting this." Death says as you both pick up Terushima by the legs.   
"Just trust me. Ready Terushima?" You ask.  
"This is gonna be cool! I'm taking down a bad guy." He gushes. You give Death a nod and you both run forward with yells, Terushima throwing lightning fists and making the forcefield burst. The villain turns about in surprise, you and Death take Terushima all the way to him. Terushima slugging him a few times, bolts of lightning going everywhere. The villain falls back and you both set Terushima down.   
"Good job dude." You pat his back.   
"Yes! I feel awesome!" He responds with a slight sparkle, no longer able to move.   
"Are you okay?" You go over to the woman and she hugs you crying.   
"Thank you!" She sniffs as some bystanders come to help. Some chuckling at how absurd your approach to the situation looked.   
"Thanks for the help again Terushima. See you later." You tell him as you and Death head off. "Any idea how to get to Killiko?"   
"Yeah, but I usually take the water slide… I'm not sure ya will like that though." He breathes.   
"Screw it. Let's use it." You decide with a nod.  
"You'll have ta climb on my back." He pats his shoulder.  
"... Yeah okay." You nod, jumping onto his back. His arms hook under your legs and your arms wrap around his neck as black water bubbles around his feet.  
"Alright, let's go." He rumbles, speeding over the street and leaving the city.   
"Whoa…" You breathe in surprise.  
"This cuts the train time in half. And the wind feels nice." He tells you.  
"Yeah it is." You hum. "So… Tendo's a good boss?"  
"Yeah. The best. He's fun and always acting cute when he talks about ya." He chuckles. He blinks and pauses. "I hope we find him. Won't feel right without him."  
"It won't. You're right…" You agree. "What was the deal with taking Kiyoomi?"  
"Think he wanted you to join him. Talked about making a nice world for both of ya." He says.   
"Heh… Sounds like him…" You smile. "If we find him. He doesn't have to know that I know. I'd like him to tell me himself. Or we can keep playing the cat and mouse game." You murmur.  
"___ if we can find him. I'll agree to whatever you say."  
"Sounds like a deal." 

You reach Killiko and get off his back so he can call Rakurai. "Hmm… I think RinRin said he lives in this area too…" You tap a finger to your chin.   
"... That mate that was with ya back at the test?" He guesses before pausing as Rakurai answers the phone. "Ah.. No lad it's me. We're at the edge of town… Near a Sake Hibachi… Kay, see ya soon."  
"Yeah that was the guy." You answer him before smirking. "Did he call you honey?" You guess.  
"I almost hung up on him for it." He admits with a nod. You chuckle lightly at that.   
"Anyway. Maybe I should call him and let him know I'm here after we take out Dagger." You breathe.  
"Ya make it sound like that's just a stepping stone." Death comments.  
"I don't plan to hold back against a bunch of murderers that would hunt down a little kid for an accident." You respond. "So I have a bit of a plan."  
"Hope it's better than that, 'Let's pick up this lad and charge the bad guy wit' him!'," He deadpans.   
"We had to do that. Terushima can't move when using or after using his quirk." You huff blushing lightly. "It wasn't that bad."  
"___, we got laughed at…"  
"... This one's better I promise. And will totally make up for the ridiculous one."   
"I'm actually worried now."   
"Shut it. It's going to be fine." You send him a frown. "Hm? What's that humming sound?"  
"Don't know but it's getting louder." He looks around.  
"-HHHHHHHHOOOOOONNNNNEEEEYYYY!" Black chains wrap around your waist and you look down.  
"Deja-vUUU!" You gasp as you're yanked off the hill and into Rakurai.   
"That… Looked like it hurt…" Death mutters heading down to join you two.  
"I'm so happy to see you! My amazing, beautiful, stunning lifesaver!!" Rakurai gushes, covering your face in kisses.  
"Oi! Okay that's enough!" You gasp trying to free yourself.  
"I'm so happy." He hugs you tightly.   
"Focus Rakurai." You pat his head.  
".... I didn't know I loved head pats until just now." He breathes, releasing you and receiving another head pat.  
"Okay, so show me the building." You tell him.   
"Sure it's just on the other side of the city. I have blueprints! Four stories up, two stories down… And crawling with mercenaries." He breathes as you all start off.   
"How well informed are they?" You ask.  
"Not well informed. They just have names of targets, no pictures. They even let me join them. They have no idea we killed a group of theirs." He murmurs.  
"How are these guys operating then?" You huff.  
"It's probably degraded since I was one." Death comments lightly.  
"... How old are you?" You ask him.   
"Twenty-six… Why?" He glances at you.  
"Ah… nevermind then…." You hum. He wouldn't have known your father then.  
"So are you turning sides?" Rakurai asks curiously.  
"No. I'm looking for Tendo." You respond. "And punishing the ones responsible for hurting him." You add darkly. He shivers and swallows at that.  
"Incredible…" He murmurs.  
"Had I known what was going to happen… I would've dealt with them then…" You frown heavily.   
"Can't undo it now. So let's do what we can." Rakurai pats your back.  
"So… Good to see again. Although I'm a bit confused." A familiar voice sounds just behind you, making you three freeze. You look back at Suna as he peers at Death cautiously.  
"RinRin… It's… A long story." You greet, rubbing your neck. "Where did you sneak from?"  
"I just finished breakfast and spotted you…" He pokes your cheek. "You like you did when you lost your teddy bear."   
"I… Kinda did." You breathe shoulders slumping. "Listen I'm about to do something… Not so good. Could we meet up later?" You ask him.  
"No. I'm interested now." He responds shaking his head.  
"So what's the plan?" Rakurai inquires.  
"You said four up and two down? I think I should be able to take it all in one go." You murmur.  
"Yer… Yer serious?" Death breathes in awe and fear.  
"Yeah. I'll have to pull my arm back together after. But it should be fine. I don't want any of you to get hurt so I rather take care of it all now." You state.   
"How terrifyingly reliable ya are ___…” Death manages.  
"I'll follow you to hell." Rakurai breathes.   
"I'm about to witness you do something amazing, I take it?" Suna guesses.   
"Heh… More like something monstrous." You swallow.  
"There it is." Rakurai points to the building just outside of town.  
"No agencies in this area, so we should be able ta leave before trouble gets here." Death says.  
"Still should make this quick." You murmur.   
"Guess we'll wait at the treeline there." Rakurai says.   
"That would be safest." You nod. You swallow, rolling your wrist and adjusting your hoodie. "Here I go."  
"Be careful." Suna tells you as you start off, going up the stairs into the building, mind visualizing the building layout.   
Some suited people peer at you quietly as you go to the front desk. "Hello I'm looking for a Satori Tendo?" You ask.  
"Hm? Sorry there's no one here by that name?" He gives you a blank look.  
"Okay. How about Midnight?" You try. Still a blank look. The ones listening in on you just seemed confused.   
"Ah.. I had a feeling that would be the case." You remove your right glove. "I'm ___ by the way." You add raising your right hand. They all pause, eyes widening before your hand comes down and everything goes dark, you fall steadily for a few moments before you touch down again, touching your right arm to pull it together after it unravelled.  
Someone moves in front of you and you pause as the particles clear away to reveal the diamond coated man. '... Shit…'  
"What the hell… Are you responsible for this?" He points at you after looking about.  
"Yeah. I am. You bastards hurt my best friend." You growl, lip curling.   
"Did we now? You should be happy he's not dead. Because now you are." He rumbles, swinging at you but you dodge, right hand smacking his arm, only sending up a few particles.   
'Uh oh. That's not good!' Tendo's voice sounds in your head.   
The others run to the edge to peer down into the hole. "That looks like a boss." Suna frowns.  
"___ couldn't burst the diamond…" Rakurai frowns, moving to jump down but Death stops him.  
"Ya won't be much help either lad." Death points out as you dodge a few punches, right hand bursting a few more particles from him.  
"But…" Rakurai frowns worriedly as you take a hit to the cheek.  
"Boss once said that titanium and lightning wouldn't stop ___ for long… So I believe that ___ can even shatter diamonds." Death breathes as you stagger, taking another hit. "Come on ___..."  
This guy's punches sure do hurt. You were feeling the effects of neglecting your health for most of the week. You dodge again but not fast enough. He hits you back into the ground wall before grabbing you by your throat and lifting you up.   
'A calm lone wolf can take on a hungry bear.' Grandma's voice sounds over the panic of your mind.  
'You know ___, your quirk works a lot better with things that can move.' Tendo had once said. 'Maybe because the particles are already moving they're easier to separate. Like if a tree had a heart you could burst it from the inside.'   
'Tendo. That's horrifying and gross…' You had replied.  
'Sorry. Sorry. Just a thought.'  
"___!" Suna calls out as the diamond man moves to hit you but something restrains him.   
"Come on! We need ta find Tendo!" Death shouts.  
"Do it honey!" Rakurai cries out.   
"Damn nuisances-" Your hand comes over the enemy's face and he pauses.  
"As long as your heart beats. I can eliminate you." You breathe, palm moving over his mouth as he opens it to say something. "Burst." You whisper, red bursting from his eyes and mouth. Your throat is released and you land coughing as he falls back into the dirt. You cough for air, staggering over to the wall and raising your arm.   
Black chains wrap around your arm swiftly pulling you up and into Rakurai's embrace. "You did amazing."   
"Come on, let's get away from here." Suna says taking the lead.   
He takes you three to a nearby park. Rakurai and Death give you two space as you inhale from K.K. 3.0.   
"You've really changed since we were little." Suna breathes, wiping your face off.   
"You think so?" You blink at him.  
"Yeah. You used to be afraid of everything. Bugs, creepy shadows, weird sounds, clowns… Oh and that shack." He chuckles lightly.  
"What shack?" You blink.   
"The one across from that tree we used to play in… You had said you saw a ghost in it and started to cry." He chuckles in soft amusement.  
"A ghost…" You echo, an old memory clicking into place. Familiar eyes peering out a window at you.  
'You called me a ghost before.' Tendo had commented when you were younger.  
'I did? I'm sorry. I don't remember?'  
'It's okay, I hid after you saw me so that's probably why…'  
"___? You okay?" Suna asks when you suddenly stand up.  
"That's it! That's where he went!" You gasp and suddenly kiss Suna. "Thank you RinRin!" You tell him as red blooms over his shocked face. "Kobalt! I know where he is! We need to go back to the tree above the hole!" You call, running to him and jumping onto his back when he looks over in surprise.  
"Ah. Right! See ya lads!" Death gasps suddenly using water slide to zip out of the area.  
"Wait… Guys!? Honey!" Rakurai calls feebly before pouting. "Don't leave me…"   
Within an hour, Death and you arrive at the tree, you hop off his back, running to the shack and going in. Pausing at the blood marks going down the small hallway. You follow it to a staircase into a basement, going down carefully, swallowing at another large blood spot at the bottom. You reach the basement, looking over at the machine against the wall, a familiar backpack sitting against it, Tendo lying unconscious in the glass tube hooked to the machine. You go over, touching the class and looking at his face, dried blood covering most of him.   
Tears come to your eyes and you look at the screen that told you he was stable. Death joins you, and relaxes. "What a guy…" He sighs.   
"Says the healing gas is low." You murmur looking around before seeing the empty canisters plugged into the machine. You swiftly take off your backpack and replace them. "I guess Kita didn't give him enough." You relax as the machine seems to power up.   
"So… He's gonna be okay?" Death breathes and you look at each other.  
"He's going to be okay." You grin with tears in your eyes, suddenly hugging his neck. He laughs and hugs you back tightly.  
"You lil miracle." He breathes as you laugh.  
"Heh. I only got to this point thanks to you guys and RinRin." You smile pulling away. You look at the machine, going over and kissing the glass. "Get well soon Satori." You whisper. "I'm going to head back now. I'll leave him to you. And don't forget our deal." You tell him going to the staircase.  
"I won't… Thanks ___." He smiles and you wave, going up and out.   
You felt better, all the pieces back in place, and a darkness pulling away from your back again. As it should be.   
You open the door and enter the dorm, taking in a deep breath. "I'm home!" You call. There's a pause before the dorm starts to shake and a stampede comes down the stairs all leaping at you.  
"Welcome home!!"


	54. Swimming Lesson

"Did you find him?" Bokuto gasps.  
"Yeah. It's going to be okay now." You smile. He freezes and the others pause some starting to tear up before you're buried in tight hugs.  
"Okay, that's enough." Kiyoomi's voice sounds over the gushing of the rest. You blink as they back up, glancing at Kiyoomi quietly as he approaches you. "You didn't call…" He says unhappily.  
"Sorry… I got really busy once I started tracking him." You say sheepishly.  
"I suppose I'll forgive you if you sleep in my room tonight." He decides.  
"Eh? That's dirty!" Atsumu objects.  
"What…?" Kiyoomi sends him a glare at the remark.  
"I don't care where you want to sleep. Just come have dinner." Osamu comes over and takes your hands, leading you to the dining room to get you to sit down.  
"Sorry for worrying you." You breathe softly, thumbs running over his knuckles in apology. He pauses, meeting your gaze before leaning in and kissing you softly in response.  
"I missed you. Take care of yourself now please?" He whispers softly.  
"Ah… Okay." You nod lightly, he kisses your temple and you sit down to eat what he brings over to you.   
Some of the others join you at the table and you entertain them with the mild version of what happened at Nohebi.   
"Wait wait wait. You two spent the night entirely alone with Daishou in some rundown building?" Kuroo huffs unhappily.  
"It sounds really bad when you say it like that. It wasn't some random building. It's our future agency." You respond.  
"... I'm going to kick his ass." Kuroo mutters, taking out his phone and making a call. You pause and reach over, taking the phone and putting it to your ear as a familiar voice answers.  
'What do ya want now, bedhead?' Daishou questions.  
"To let you know that I'm home now." You hum, there's a surprised pause as he probably double checks the contact.  
'_-___! You called me from Kuroo's phone? Well, it's good to know you're back, everything turned out well?' He inquires lightly.  
"Yeah it did." You lean away from Kuroo's hand as he reaches for the phone. "I told everyone what a great boss you were and Kuroo had this great idea to call you." You inform.  
'Out of jealousy I'm sure.' He hums lightly. 'You should make it worse.' He snickers. You blink, getting pulled into the mischievous attitude he gave off.  
"Awww, Suguru you're too much.' You giggle lightly. The others pause, starting to glare at the phone while Daishou sputters slightly at that.  
'G-Give me a bit of a warning if you're jumping in like that!' He manages.  
"That's why I didn't. You're so cute." You hum.   
'Sure are brave over the phone… I'll remember this.' He rumbles.  
"Oh stop, you… You're giving me chills." You murmur smirking.   
'Tch…___...'  
'Daishou! Why's your tail wagging like that? Are you talking to ___?’ Mika's voice sounds on the other end and you both pause.  
'M-Mika-chan! You surprised me! Yes, it's ___. I'll put you on speaker so you can say hi.'  
"H-Hi Mika." You manage blushing lightly.  
'Hey ___! Daishou is blushing, did I interrupt you guys flirting?' She asks curiously.   
"Uh… According to the faces the others are making we might have been…" You murmur glancing around. "Stop staring guys."  
"Don't flirt with that guy on my phone." Kuroo frowns.  
"It's your fault for calling him to give him trouble." You retort.  
"You're the one giving him trouble now." Atsumu huffs.   
"You think so? Sorry Daishou."   
'Wh-what? It's no trouble at all.' He manages.  
'He liked it. His tail was moving a lot.' Mika giggles.  
"Geez… Even over the phone she's too cute… Boss, do the thing." You sigh rubbing your cheek, feeling your blush grow.   
'Aw… ___ I miss you. I can't wait to see you the day after tomorrow.' Mika murmurs. 'I have a few gifts for you too.'  
"Eh? Really? For me?" You sit up with a sheepish grin.   
'Mhm! Oh! I gotta go! See you later!' She gasps.  
"Bye Mika." You call, hearing Daishou call the same.  
'So make sure you're back to yourself by the tournament… I'm going to want my partner until the last stage of it.' He tells you lightly.  
"Okay. I'll make sure I'm in top condition then." You smile.  
'Good… I'll be waiting for you.' Daishou breathes.  
"Alright, see you then." You hum before you both hang up. You look at Kuroo's phone thoughtfully before peeking at Kuroo. "Got any new pics?" You ask, making him freeze and blush heavily, quickly taking his phone back.  
"Sh-Shut it." He stammers.  
"Heh." You smirk and he glares half-heartedly at you.  
"Heh… Welcome back." He sighs with a smile.   
"Thanks for the food Osamu." You hum getting up before kissing his cheek and heading up stairs to shower and change before heading to Kiyoomi's room. You go in carefully and he greets you with a pill to your lips.   
"You had me really worried." He scolds you lightly.   
"I know… I'm sorry Kiyoomi." You frown lightly. He shifts slightly, looking over your face and starting to blush.  
"Can you… Say what you said over the phone before?" He requests quietly.  
"Okay… I…." Your voice dies, a heavy blush forming on your face. "I…" You try again but nothing comes out. "I'm sorry. I can't…" You cover your face.  
"I'll try then. ___, I…." He tries so hard to say it, turning red and just deciding to hug you instead. "I knew it… It was the phone… Saying it in person is still hard…" He grumbles before chuckling. "I really wanted to hear it again too."   
"Yeah.." You bury your face in his shoulder. "You sure this is okay? I stressed you out for a while there."   
"I'm sure it'll be fine. Because the moment you smiled it all seemed to melt away. Not just for me either… Right now I'm just so happy to have you back." He squeezes you softly. "I…" He grimaces and puts his head to your shoulder. "Dammit… That would've fit perfectly there…"   
"Heh… That's okay, I still heard it." You kiss his cheek and he pulls back to meet your gaze. He cups your cheek and kisses you softly in response.  
"It's not enough. I'm not satisfied with not being able to say it clearly." He says in slight frustration before kissing you again, backing you toward the bed. "I want you to know. I want you to hear it." He breathes, lightly pushing you onto the bed so he can loom over you. "You've always been a light in my life. When you're gone it's gray and empty. So wherever you want to go I'll follow. I might not deserve you but I crave you. I want to stay near your warm light more than anything."   
You blink up at him in awe, tearing up slightly. "What's wrong with saying it that way?" You ask with a warm smile.  
"It's too long." He responds before smiling and cupping your cheek. "Why are you tearing up? Was it too much?" He asks softly.  
"No.. It just made me really happy." You respond touching his hand. He smiles a bit more before kissing you again. "So does that mean you followed me to Raizu?"  
"..." He blushes lightly looking to the side. "Yes…"   
"Why didn't you say so?"  
"Because I felt like a stalker." He grumbles, closing his eyes. "I weighed the pros and cons for both schools and the pros were equal until I put your now down. And even then I kept telling myself there were other reasons for it but none of them really mattered to me except for you."  
You reach up and pull his face down for a kiss. He hums lowly kissing you back, arms wrapping around you before rolling to the side and pulling you closer. After a bit he breaks the kiss to wish you goodnight. "Goodnight Kiyoomi… Thank you for always being near me." You whisper cupping his cheek.  
"Thank you for still being here." He responds, cuddling up to you and starting to drift off.  
'We can only thank Tendo for that.' You think, looking at the wall before steadily drifting off as well. 

When morning arrives, you wake with a stretch, back popping slightly before you focus on Kiyoomi's sleeping face. You smile softly, watching him before kissing his cheek and getting out of the bed. You head to your room to change for the day, pausing as you look over at Ushijima fast asleep. You smile and go over, moving some hair from his face and kissing his temple before grabbing some clothes and going into the bathroom to change.  
You go back out and down to the kitchen to start breakfast, peering about before messaging Death to check on Tendo. A few moments later you receive a response.  
'He's doing good. Most of the bad ones are gone now. He started to move too.'   
'Good. Did you sleep? I'll stop by with food later.' You tell him.  
'I slept… A little bit. That's awfully sweet of you…'  
'You just keep watching over him, I'll see you soon.' You respond before focusing on breakfast. After a few moments a pair of arms wrap around you from behind, lips pressing against your neck.   
"I was going to do that…" Osamu whispers.  
"Beat you to it." You smirk, pecking his cheek.   
"Fine. I'm just gonna watch then." He whispers, kissing your cheek. Everytime you got something done he'd kiss you on the cheek.  
"Stop… That's starting to tickle." You chuckle. "And done." You add finishing with breakfast.  
"Oh finally." He smiles before covering the side of your face with kisses. You laugh trying to get away as he moves to your neck.   
"Um… So is the food done…?" Iwaizumi inquires, making you both freeze.   
"Oh! Y-Yes it's done." You manage sheepishly as Iwaizumi calmly moves between you two, giving Osamu a look.   
"Good morning to you too." Osamu smiles before going to ring the bell for breakfast. Iwaizumi huffs and you both look at each other before he leans over and kisses the tip of your nose before grabbing a plate and going to the dining room. You blink after him before chuckling sheepishly as more start to come into the kitchen to grab a plate.   
Ushijima is the last to come in, looking troubled. "What's wrong Wakatoshi?" You ask him lightly.  
"Shirabu just informed me that one of the stages of the stages of the tournament is a swimming one." He frowns.  
"You don't know how to swim…" You conclude nodding. "And I never got to teach you back during the camp." You frown lightly.  
"You knew?" He tilts his head.  
"I guessed… We should go to the water course then! I'll teach you today." You decide with a grin.  
"Will I be able to learn in a day?" He tilts his head.  
"Dunno. But it's worth a shot." You tell him, hands on your hips. "But first. Let's eat."  
"Yes… Thank you." He gives a small smile.  
"No need for that." You wave your hand. 'Just getting a close up with those muscles will be enough for me.' You think as you both head into the dining room.   
After breakfast you take Ushijima to the water course. It was set up like a beach, even had a bright sunny feel even though everything outside was over cast.   
"This is one of the big courses so we got plenty of room. And it has shallow areas for you to catch your footing." You take off your hoodie cover and stretch as he removes his shirt.  
"... I'm nervous." He comments suddenly.  
"Eh? You are?" You blink in surprise. "I'm not going to let you drown you know."   
"That's not the only reason…" He murmurs looking down. You pause and reach over to pat his shoulder.  
"Well whatever it is. It'll be fine, I'm here with you." You hum before starting for the water. He frowns watching you with a small blush before sighing quietly and following you to the water. "Come on." You reach for him, wading a bit deeper.  
He follows you deeper and you take his hands. "Okay, calm slow kicks." You breathe, kicking off of the bank into open water. He tries to follow your lead but starts to sink. You swiftly pull him into you to keep him from sinking further. 'Heavy… Muscles are nice but heavy…' You think. "Okay… Maybe kick faster…" You manage. He blinks at your face, kicking swiftly making you both bob out of the water.   
"This doesn't seem right." He comments as you start laughing.  
"Slow it down, we just wanna keep you from sinking you," You chuckle.  
"Okay." He frowns lightly with a blush, adjusting until it's calm.   
"There we go." You whisper, starting to tug him along. "I'm going to let your hands go now, try to mimic me." You move to let go of his hands but he grips them tightly seeming uneasy at that thought. "I'm not going to disappear." You touch your forehead to his with a soft smile. "Trust me." You whisper as he blushes.   
"Okay…" He manages, releasing your hands. You smile and guide him gently into the next steps.  
It might've taken two hours before he was swimming comfortably and diving here and there. It was nice watching him swim about, the water glistening over his muscles so nicely. His eyes meet yours and you send a smile before diving under the water, moving to a deep area and stopping to look at the fake sky from under the water. You liked swimming, it felt free and calm.   
He swims down to you giving you a curious look. You smile at him and look up at the rippling sky in response. He follows your gaze, seeming to want to stay there with you but his lungs weren't ready to stay under long. You move closer to him, taking his hand and heading to the surface with him. He coughs slightly as you regain your breath. "You okay?" You pat his back.   
"Yes… I need to get better at holding my breath." He responds.   
"You're getting good at this. That water stage tomorrow won't know what hit it." You smile, kissing his cheek bone. He pauses, touching the spot and peering at you quietly. "Ah. Sorry. That was a um… Good job gesture…" You stammer with a blush. He blinks at that before leaning over and kissing your cheek.  
"You did a good job at teaching me…" He murmurs as you pause in surprise. He looks down with a small blush.   
"Heh… How can you be so handsome and so cute at the same time?" You tease slightly. He scoffs quietly and hides a small smile under the water, looking away from you. '... Does he know this is bad for my instincts?' You wonder, fingers brushing his cheeks and regaining his attention. "Are you messing with me right now? I feel like I'm being baited here. This cuteness can't be real." You comment, meeting his gaze as you move even closer, nose brushing his. He blushes heavily and hides his face in your shoulder at that.  
"I'm not. I don't know what you mean…" He grumbles quietly in confusion.   
'He's so damn precious… How is this the same guy that I challenged a while ago?' You wonder in awe, hugging him.   
"Hey Wakatoshi?" You hum, making him raise his head to look at you. "Can I kiss you?" You ask. He freezes, face becoming entirely red at that.   
"M….Mhm…" Is the only answer he can manage.  
'Ah… I wonder if he'll be okay if I do…' You tilt your head, moving closer. Your nose brushes his and he shivers slightly, closing his eyes. 'Heh… How cute.' You think smiling before softly kissing him. He kisses back and immediately hides his face behind his hands when you pull away. "Wakatoshi… If you keep that up I'll want to tease you." You warn lightly.  
"My heart feels weird…" He murmurs. You blink and turn your head away to keep from laughing at him. So damn cute.  
"Okay, let's get out now. You must be hungry." You breathe after calming yourself leading him out. You pass him a towel and dry off, peering over as he does the same. Feeling your gaze he starts to blush all over. "I'm not going to jump on you if that's why you're getting nervous."   
"I'm not getting nervous…" He responds.   
"Okay… I'll leave you alone." You smile, shaking the sand from your hoodie before pulling it on over your bathing suit. He relaxes as he pulls on his shirt, peering at you quietly.   
"Do you want a hug?" He asks lightly. You pause, and turn to him, holding up your arms.  
"Pick me up." You request. He blinks and lifts you up against his chest, head tilting in question. "Now I'm in the perfect position to kiss you again." You smirk. His eyes widen as he turns red again. You lean your head down and he closes his eyes. "Can I?"  
"Mm… Mhm…" He responds lightly. You smile and tip his chin, kissing him again. He kisses back instinctively and you smile, pulling back, arms wrapping around his neck.  
"Wakatoshi is so cute." You chuckle as he hides his face in your shoulder. "You can put me down now. Let's get you some food." You pat his head.  
"... I don't want to." He murmurs carrying you out stubbornly. You chuckle at that, resting your chin on his shoulder as he walks on.  
"I hope Tendo wakes up soon… I miss him…" You say without thinking.  
"Me too." He agrees, hugging you.   
"I gotta take him on a date after all that…" You think, closing your eyes.   
"That's a nice idea." He smiles lightly. You reach the dorms and he finally sets you down so you can enter.   
"Finally! Where did you guys go?" Oikawa asks joining you as you both go to the kitchen.  
"Swimming. Why? What's up?" You ask starting to make lunch for you and Ushijima.   
"Wait… Swimming? Just you two? Half naked and alone…?" Oikawa straightens.  
"Yeah." You respond. There's a thump and you look back to find him sulking against the wall.  
"Are you okay Oikawa?" Ushijima inquires.  
"I hate you… So much…" Oikawa whispers.   
"Don't be mean to Wakatoshi." You tell him, placing a hand on Ushijima's chest. Ushijima pauses, touching your hand with a small blush and avoiding looking at you. "So damn cute." You hiss before focusing on the food.  
"Anyway, we…" Oikawa turns back around, pausing in confusion at Ushijima's shy expression. "What the hell? Go away!" Oikawa snaps.   
"Tooru…" You hum a warning and he pauses.  
"... As I was trying to say. We're going to the Armageddon course in a bit, wanna come?" He asks you.  
"Mmm… Sorry. I have an errand to go on." You answer.   
"Ah… well you can join us afterwards." He says. "Be careful, Dagger's still out there." He says going out. You pause in confusion. That should've been on the news already right? Did that get covered up? You frown lightly and pass Ushijima his plate before making a bento for Death. You gather some other food too before turning to him.  
"I'll be back soon." You tell Ushijima before heading out briskly. You soon come to the shack, going inside to find it spotless on the inside. "Someone's been busy." You comment loudly, going down to the basement.  
"Hey. I got bored sometime last night an cleaned da place… figured it would be a nice thing for him ta wake up to." Death greets, looking up from the newspaper he was reading.  
"You're… Sweet…" You say in surprise before handing him the food and looking over at Tendo and pausing. "Where did the glass go?" You ask.  
"It went into the wall after the machine said something about the healing process being completed… Scared the hell outta me last night when I tried ta go ta sleep." He huffs. You go over carefully, leaning over Tendo. "I cleaned him up too, best as I could without moving 'im too much."   
"He looks much better now…" You whisper, cupping Tendo's cheek and kissing his lips softly. "Come back to me soon…" You breathe before kissing him again. Death shifts blushing lightly and looking away awkwardly.  
"Ya two really can't help yerselves…" He comments.  
"I can't help it." You breathe straightening up. "Anyway thanks for being such a good friend to him." You ruffle his hair.  
"Oi. I'm older than ya don't go treating me like a kid too." He scoffs blushing. You snicker ruffling his hair more at that. "Ya belong together with him…" He grumbles, swatting your hands away with a small smile. "Get outta here."  
"Alright. See you later." You chuckle heading out and back to Raizu. You train with the others for the rest of the day and pile up in your room for bed that night, anxiously awaiting the Tournament.

"This stadium is huge!" You gasp.  
"And it's only the starting stage." Kuroo chuckles.  
"Not many contestants this time around…" Oikawa murmurs.  
"Bloody Horizon thinned them out." Futakuchi reminds him.  
"Still…" Oikawa frowns softly.  
"___!" Mika chimes, making you look over just as she crashes into you, giving you a kiss. She surprised you with it and your arms wave slightly in confusion. "Hehehe! Surprised you." She giggles. You blink and blush, hugging her with a huff before kissing her cheek.  
"Ugh… I'll get you back one day…" You grumble.  
"Hehe…" She hugs you tighter.  
"Ah… I should've known you were running to ___." Daishou chuckles.   
"Hey boss." You smile as you and Mika release each other.  
"Hey… You're looking good." He rumbles. You blink, understanding his meaning and smile more.   
"Of course. I can't fight by your side if I'm not at a hundred percent." You breathe making him smile softly. Mika squeals quietly making you both look at her in surprise.  
"I can't wait to see you two fight together!" She gushes excitedly.   
"Right." You breathe.  
"Left." Daishou hums and you both kiss her cheeks.  
"Aww… You two." She blushes heavily.  
"I hate whatever is going here." Oikawa frowns heavily.  
"I'm not jealous." Atsumu grumbles to himself.  
"We should get inside before it gets any more crowded." Kiyoomi says leading the way, everyone starts to follow, but something keeps you back.   
'Turn around.' A voice murmurs in your head and you carefully look back as a familiar face moves through the crowd, stopping a few feet away with a small smile that brings tears to your eyes.  
"___. I'm home."


	55. Tournament Round 1

You collide into his chest, lips crashing into his as you both go down. He hums in surprise, kissing you back deeply. "I… You jerk!" You cry pulling back. "Don't you ever worry me like that again!"   
"Sorry. Sorry, I promise I won't." Tendo chuckles, cupping your face and wiping away the tears. You meet his gaze and kiss him deeply again. He lets out another hum before pulling away. "Easy ___ easy… You're going to make my heart pop…" He blushes lightly.  
"That's completely your fault." You grumble hugging him tightly. He chuckles sheepishly, before looking up as the others come back.   
"Hey guys-" He cuts off as Noya, Bokuto, and the twins hug you both tightly.  
"You gave everyone a scare, Tendo." Kiyoomi lowers his mask to give a small smile. "You gotta make it up to us now."  
"So demanding as soon as I get back." He huffs before shuddering as you kiss his neck. "Take it easy on me please. I'm sensitive right now…" Tendo murmurs to you.   
"Punishment." You grumble biting his cheek lightly making him gasp and laugh.  
"Someone please help!" He leans away from you in amusement. Bokuto pulls you back but you're still gripping Tendo tight. Tendo meets your gaze smiling softly and kissing your knuckle. "Thank you for saving me ___.”  
"You saved me first. Idiot." You breathe smiling softly.   
"Alright, you gotta go put on a show for me. I want to watch you and Wakatoshi beat everyone." He smiles, pulling away and standing, offering his hands to help you up. You take his hands and stand, pulling Bokuto up with you.   
"Right, everyone, you heard him." You point to the stadium and they nod starting for it again. You turn to Tendo and he tilts his head, watching you carefully.  
"You've changed again." He breathes, brushing some hair from your face.  
"Who wouldn't if they thought their best friend was gone because of them?" You respond quietly. He pauses and frowns lightly.  
"I… Didn't think about that part… I just wanted you to live." He murmurs, rubbing his neck.   
"I know… I wanted you to live too." You whisper, finger pulling up the ring that was hidden under your shirt on it's chain. He blinks as you press your lips to it. "It was scary without you here. Please… Don't leave me like that again."  
".... I don't know if I can promise that ___. I love you too much. I won't stand by and let something bad happen to you if I can stop it." He frowns lightly. You drop your gaze at that and take his hand.   
"Then next time we'll fight together." You look up at him determined. "I won't let anyone tear us apart again." You add lowly. He straightens at that, eyes widening slightly.  
"Heh… I just got chills… Alright ___. Whatever you want." He kisses your forehead.  
"And… I'm going to take you on a date soon. So be ready." You add with a frown, blushing. He pauses before chuckling happily.  
"My. Are you going to spoil me now? I'm so happy." He rumbles. You grab his face and pull him down to give him another kiss.   
"I love you." You murmur.  
"More than anything in this world." He smiles and touches the ring, bringing it up to kiss it, meeting your gaze as he does. You smile at that, kiss the other side of it, forehead touching his. "Get going. I'll be watching you."  
"I know." You hum before rushing off after the others.  
"I didn't think ___ would ever let you go there for a moment." Rakurai chuckles coming to Tendo's side. "I'm so jealous boss." He grumbles hugging Tendo.  
"Heh… Everyone is so cuddly today." Tendo comments, smiling and rubbing Rakurai's head.  
"Could ya blame us. We almost lost ya." Death huffs joining him as well, wearing a disguise.  
"I'm sorry. I'll treat you guys later. Today, let's just watch the tournament." Tendo smiles.  
"Oh! I made cheering flags for ___!" Rakurai holds up the flags that have a picture of you on it.  
"I love them…" Tendo whispers with sparkling eyes.  
"Ya guys have fun. I don't wanna be caught so I'll head to the new setup." Death pats their backs before heading off.  
"Alright Kobalt, see you later." Tendo watches him go. "Alright Rakurai. Let's go cheer on my cute ___!” Tendo gushes hooking an arm around his neck.  
"But won't it look bad if you're seen with me?" Rakurai asks.  
"Nah. I'll just say I saw you and thought you were Oikawa." Tendo shrugs. "And of course I'm going to be friends with someone who made this." He waves the flag and grins. "So cute."

You finish changing into your new suit and smile, looking it over thoughtfully. "Wow." Daishou comments and you look back. "So that's what Mika's design looks like mixed with Tendo's…" He looks you over and smiles. "It looks great. She's gonna love it."   
"Good. I really like yours in this light." You comment, feeling the scales over his chest. He pauses, blushing lightly as he watches you.  
"Heh. You did this before too." He comments, tail swishing behind him. He catches your hands after a moment. "Okay… That's enough, let's go to the team selection." He tells you.  
"But I…" You pout looking at the scales. He blinks and looks away, blushing again, smile pulling on his lips.  
"Later." He assures, tail wrapping around your wrist and guiding you out to join the others.  
"Sure took your time." Kuroo huffs.  
"Sorry. I got distracted." You wave.   
"By what?" Atsumu raises an eyebrow.  
"My boss's amazing suit!" You gush hugging Daishou. He tenses slightly and chuckles sheepishly, ears turning red at that. His tail tightens around your wrist slightly and you toss him a smirk.  
"Trouble." He hisses smiling a bit.  
"I hate it, stop. Admire my suit instead." Oikawa speaks up, sporting silver and gold armor.  
"That is nice." You comment, releasing Daishou. "But I really like the scales." You touch Daishou's back, feeling over the scales there. "So smooth…"   
"Easy ___. Don't make them jealous yet." He murmurs while they frown at him.  
"Next twenty." The call sounds and everyone moves forward. You end up on the green team with Daishou, Nishinoya, the twins, Iwaizumi, Akaashi, Shirabu, and Suna. There were eleven others but you didn't have time for introductions.  
"RinRin!" You gush hugging him.  
"Hey." He hums hugging you back.   
"Thanks for before. I was able to find my friend." You grin.  
"Ah… That explains the sudden…" He trails off and looks away. "Anyway, are you ready for this? Show me that quirk again." He smiles.  
"Sure. What's the first challenge?" You ask, stretching with a smile.  
"I think I heard someone say capture the flag." Osamu states.  
"Then why is the ground shaking?" Shirabu huffs.  
"They always try to outdo the previous year so I'm guessing that's why." Iwaizumi comments.  
"Earpieces." Akaashi says passing them out. He stops to put yours in your ear, meeting your gaze and offering a small smirk when you blink at him.   
"Heh. Let's burn it up Akaashi." You whisper with a smile. He gives a wink in response before moving on.   
"I can tell we have a nice line up here…" Daishou smiles a bit, looking over everyone. "I'm feeling optimistic honestly."  
"Right? Let's kick everyone's ass ___!” Nishinoya grins at you excitedly and you're instantly drawn in.  
"Yes! Let's come out on top!" You cheer.  
"Don't tell me you forgot we're up against Oikawa, and Ushijima." Shirabu deadpans.  
"And the Cactus. We need to be ready for all of them to come at us at once." Atsumu says. You blink, excitement rushing up and down your back like teasing claws. A smile forms on your lips that makes the twins pause in surprise.  
"Then let them come. We'll give them one hell of a fight." You breathe.  
"That's a nice smile." Akaashi hums.  
"Also chilling." Osamu purses his lips before smiling and straightening up. "I like it. Lead the way." You look at Daishou at that and he smiles, shoulder touching yours before you both start out with the others behind you, going through the door as the light turns green and it opens.  
Cheers can be heard all around as the sunlight meets your skin. The stage looks like a desert, rocks and cliffs jarring out at random. The other two teams approach the center where a pro stands. On the red team you can see; Ushijima, Kita, Yaku, Kuroo, Kenma, and Daichi along with a bunch more you didn't recognize. You and Yaku lock eyes and exchange surprised waves. You glance at the blue team and feel your heart sink a bit at the line up; Aone, Futakuchi, Ryuu, Oikawa, Bokuto, and Kiyoomi then some extras as well. Yep, this was going to be a real challenge.  
"The rules are simple, collect the flags and place them above your marked door. As soon as all flags are placed above the door you will get access to the first rescue road where you will save as many people as you can on your way to the next stage." The pro informs. "Ready? And…" The ground starts to move and massive golems of various sizes form around the teams. "Go."  
"___." Daishou slips off your glove and you swipe your arm out, bursting the ground around the other groups before yours takes off.  
"Akaashi, you see any?" You ask.  
"Cliff top straight ahead and canyon wall to the right." Akaashi responds.   
"We'll take the canyon, you guys get the other." You and Daishou say in unison.   
"Leave it to us." Nishinoya grins as the group separates.  
"Geez. You already in my head?" Daishou huffs with a smile.  
"What? No, I just guessed. I'm getting really good at that." You marvel. He chuckles and suddenly spins you around him, your right hand raising and bursting a wall of ice that rushed you two.   
"Burst the canyon wall and I'll get the flag, we'll use the particles to avoid the enemy." He tells you, snake tail wrapping around your waist.   
"Yessir." You turn and swipe at the canyon wall. He leads the way through the particles, picking up the dropped flag.   
"Feels like there's two coming for us." He comments. You try to look through the particles when his tail lifts you up as he suddenly goes up the canyon wall. "Burst the ground below us to keep us hidden." He orders.   
"Right." You swiftly do so and he climbs onto the cliff top, looking about.  
"Akaashi I got visual on a flag near blue's door." He informs via earpiece. "___ there's one on that giant golem there." He adds nodding to the biggest golem.  
"Noya, we're going to need you." You tell the others. "We're on the high ground."  
'On my way.' Noya rumbles.  
"So I'm guessing we'll need one more after this?" You murmur.  
"Most likely… Let's go ahead and steal the last one to slow one of them down." Daishou smirks.  
"... You're so damn cool boss." You breathe. He pauses and sends you a wink in response, making you smile.  
"Whoa. We're going after that one?" Noya gasps behind you, making you both jump and look back. "So are you two done flirting now? I'm ready to throw you." He smiles.   
"We weren't…" Daishou starts but huffs lightly. "Yeah. Throw us."   
"Alright, good thing you two are linked together." Nishinoya hums as his wind deity picks you both up.  
"Did this guy get bigger?" You ask in surprise glancing down.  
"Yeah and stronger too." Nishinoya grins.  
"Boss I'm scared."  
"This was your idea!?" He gasps in alarm just before you both are thrown at the golem.  
You both kick it in the head and Daishou rips the flag out from it's scalp. "Yes!" You hiss as Daishou twists, pulling you to stand on top of it's head.  
"Looks like we'll be stealing the last flag from the red door." He breathes looking down.   
"How do we get down?" You ask as the golem moves, swinging at the blue team. Daishou blinks at you, leaning near your ear.  
"Give them chills with your power." He whispers against your ear, sending chills down your spine.   
"O-okay." You swallowing and smiling widely, raising your arm and swiping down, bursting the entire golem with your quirk. You both fall and he holds you close, seeming confident. A burst of ice reaches for you and you instinctively burst it, someone flying at you both.   
"Throw me toward our door. I'll leave the last flag to you." Daishou breathes as your eyes lock with Futakuchi as he reaches for you two. You nod, spinning about and throwing Daishou for the green door before twisting in time to kick Futakuchi back.   
"I learned something thanks to you ___.” He smirks, aiming his palm at you. "Knock back." He breathes, and an unseen force blasts you toward the ground. You crash, skidding across it before jumping up and swiping your arm out to hide amongst particles.   
'Move! Get to the red door!' You tell yourself running for it as the particles clear. You jump up to grab it but a pressure suddenly shoves you back down and onto your knees. "Dammit…." You grit your teeth, sending a smile at Daichi.   
"Did you think I'd let you do that?" He chuckles. "How naive." His dark eyes glint and your eyes widen uneasily. Movement catches your eye nearby and you smile.   
"You can stop my movement, but you can't stop my quirk." You breathe before bursting the ground around you both. You hear him struggling with your comrade and the pressure lift. You jump and grab the flag before running for the green door, Suna swiftly joining you. "Thanks for the save."  
"Daishou had me come after you." He responds with a smile. You smile back but a blur of silver past him catches your eye and you swiftly spin around him to burst the volley of arrows that Oikawa sent your way.  
"Hey ___, can I borrow that flag you stole from Ushijima?" Oikawa smiles calmly.   
"No." Iwaizumi answers moving in front of you. "Keep going. Leave Shittykawa to me." He sends a smirk, body mostly igniting with intense flames.  
"Shit." Oikawa frowns as you and Suna continue running.   
"Haha! Iwa-chan is the best." You chuckle in amusement. Almost there, it looked like the others were waiting for you too. There's a flicker of lightning in front of you and Yaku is suddenly standing in your way.   
"Hey! Can I have that back?" Yaku tilts his head with a smile, pointing at the flag.  
'Ah… My bad matchup…' You think with an uneasy smile. A canister is tossed between his legs and he pauses, looking down as gas spews out, obscuring him and probably paralyzing him. You swiftly pass the flag to Suna as Kiyoomi launches out of the gas at you.   
You swiftly dodge him, bursting the area around you two, spinning about and kicking his side. He grabs your leg and tosses you away. You jump to your feet, flipping back as he tosses a canister at you. "How unlucky for me." You chuckle, straightening up and feeling your back touch someone standing behind you.   
"Yes. You are unlucky." Ushijima breathes. You internally scream and jump out of the way as he swings his arm out, the shockwave knocking you back.   
"Oi oi oi. What'd I do?" You gasp. Something swooping down makes you jump back as Bokuto touches down with a flag in his teeth.  
"Oya oya?" He sends you a smirk.  
'Ah… I'm surrounded by enemies…' You think uneasily.  
"Oya oya oya?" Kuroo's voice hums, and the earth launches you into the air.   
"Shit!" You gasp, trying to straighten up but a metal cord wraps around you. You follow it to see Daishou at the other end, yanking you into himself. He catches you and turns about, running out the green door with you. "Boss!" You gasp hugging him tightly.   
"You really were in a mess there." He chuckles setting you down as you reach the group as they reach the first rescue road, a swamp looking area.  
"I was. Thanks for the save." You grin.  
"Alright. Let's get through this part quickly." Akaashi says, pulling on some heat vision goggles.  
"Right." Everyone says, rushing forward together.   
"Two there." Akaashi points to a foggy area.  
"On it." The twins say moving away quickly in that direction.   
"I think I see some under something there." Akaashi points.  
"May I?" You touch his shoulder.  
"Yeah." He takes off the goggles and puts them on you. He pauses, peering at your lips and leaning forward but Daishou calmly covers your mouth.  
"Mmf?" You hum in confusion while Akaashi sends Daishou a frown, Daishou smiles back in response.   
"Let's focus." He says lightly.  
"Right." Akaashi moves away, eyes narrowed. You peer about with the goggles, finding the signatures he had indicated. You touch the muddy soil with your right hand, focusing on the surrounding area and uncovering them.   
"Nice." Daishou says, picking up the two. "Next ones. And let's pick up the pace before the others catch up."  
"Right." The group continues down, saving as many as everyone can carry before reaching the next stadium. You set your rescues down and move to join the others at the next door. The other teams arrived right after.  
"You hear water." Atsumu says, fox ears perked.   
"Must be the water stage Wakatoshi was worried about." You comment.  
"You just had to teach him how to swim…" Osamu sighs.  
"Well yeah. It's more exciting this way right?" You grin.  
"There's the adrenaline junkie." Suna pats your head.  
"I do agree though. Having a bunch of strong opponents is fun." Nishinoya grins.  
"It helps that we have strong teammates too. I'm not even worried. I know I'm in good hands." You chuckle confidently. There's a pause before Nishinoya and the twins hug you tightly at that.  
"Awe…" Suna chuckles.   
"Let's go beat this next stage." You grin.  
"Right." 

~^~^~^~^

"___'s doing really well down there." Rakurai comments leaning on the railing as the walkway moves them to the next stage.  
"Did you get chills when that whole golem disappeared too?" Tendo asks.  
"I did… But it was nothing like when they eliminated Dagger's headquarters in one go." Rakurai murmurs.   
"What? ___ did?" Tendo gasps in surprise. "And you're just now telling me?"  
"Well to be fair, as soon as you woke up you got clean and headed here to see ___.” Rakurai points out. "But yeah. It was so chilling. I get excited just remembering it. ___ had such a dangerous look then too…" He grins. "Looked like a villain boss…"  
"... You guys… Wouldn't have recorded that by chance..?" Tendo shifts fingertips pressing together.  
"No… Sorry boss… Death has a story about ___ too." Rakurai chuckles.   
"All because of me huh?" Tendo asks with a small smile, rubbing his cheek.  
"Yeah." Rakurai tilts his head. "You're being really cute right now."  
"I'm just happy. I wasn't expecting that sort of response…" Tendo chuckles thoughtfully. "Maybe there's still hope for me after all…"


	56. Tournament Round 2

"The next stage is simple, an underwater relay to get the key to your next door and open it. However this requires groups of five. Split your team's up, the first group to reach the key will go on to the next stage. Once you're ready stand on the numbered tiles with your group." The pro in charge of this stage announces.  
"Ah…" Everyone looks at each other at that.   
"___.” Daishou, Nishinoya, and Akaashi put a hand on you immediately.   
"Dammit…" Atsumu growls before he and Osamu play a few games of rock-paper-scissors.   
"Shit…" Osamu mutters when he loses.  
"Alright. I'm on ___'s team!" Atsumu chimes.  
"Why does it seem like we've just been counted out…" Shirabu frowns heavily.  
"We'll just show them up." Suna murmurs as Osamu joins the other team.   
"Let's get on our tiles." Daishou breathes leading the way.   
"So this is the elimination stage…" Akaashi murmurs. "Breaking it all down to a third…"   
"With the current numbers this'll be perfect for the final showdown." Daishou comments.  
"Let's just focus on this one for now." You murmur looking at the waters as the other groups start to line up.  
"Remain on your tiles." The pro instructs as your tile suddenly starts to lower into the ground. You and Daishou exchange a look of surprise just before the ground separates you both.   
'And now I'm nervous…' You think with a small frown, lights coming on around you. The tile stops, and you find an air mask, a key, and a pair of handcuffs.  
"Put on the mask and handcuffs. Then hold the key and press the button." A robot voice instructs you. With an uneasy frown you do so, making sure the mask was secure before grabbing the key and pressing the button. The tile opens beneath you and a chain hooked to the handcuffs drags you down into the water slightly. 'When you are released, swim down to free your last teammate. Your air mask will run out of oxygen in five minutes.' The robot voice sounds.  
You wait there, floating in the water calmly. You were deep in the water, darkness below you. You look up as movement catches your eye and Akaashi swiftly swims down to you, unlocking your handcuffs and freeing you. He gives a nod and swims for the surface as you look toward the darkness, a green light now visible.   
Swimming down quickly, you glance at the timer at the corner of your air mask. One minute already remaining. You frown, swimming down faster until you reach the lit up keyhole and swiftly release the cuffs. Another light shows up further below you. You couldn't see who it was but they go down for the light and you start to swim back up, taking off the air mask as it starts to beep after you take in a final breath from it.   
Could you hold your breath that long? You were still in the dark area. You frown to yourself worried about the other contestants. 'They'll be fine. This is a test and there are pros. Just focus.' You tell yourself. Air bubbles leave your lips and your lungs start to burn. 'Too far…'   
A rush of water sounds behind you and you glance back just as someone grabs you, swimming twice as fast for the surface. Your head breaks through the water and you gasp for air as Daishou throws the key to Akaashi who rushes to unlock the door.  
"Come on. I got ya." Daishou climbs out of the water, pulling you up with his tail.  
"I'm so lucky you were there." You cough as your team rushes through the door.   
"You did good." He pats your back as you all go through, the door slamming shut behind you.  
"Onto the final stage!" Atsumu grins.  
"After another rescue road." Akaashi states.   
"I think we're the first team out again. We're doing great!" Nishinoya grins.  
"Yeah we are. It's a good thing that boss can swim fast." You comment glancing at him with a smile.  
Daishou chuckles in response as the group reaches the rescue road. A ruined city stage.   
"We'll save who we can and press on." Daishou says quickly, fingertips touching the ground, pupils slitting. He moves to a building nearby and Atsumu moves to another, following his nose. Akaashi directs you and Nishinoya to some others as you hurry down the road with the rescues.   
"Blue team!" Nishinoya calls and you glance back to see Oikawa leading Bokuto, Kiyoomi, Ryuu, and Futakuchi swiftly.   
"Can they steal rescues?" You ask Daishou swiftly.  
"Yes. Run." Daishou orders swiftly. Everyone takes off at that. A canister lands on the ground in front of you.   
"Shit. Noya!" You call and the wind deity scoops it up, tossing it back as it explodes.  
"Close!" More canisters fly overheard at that. "Hold your breath!" You call as toxic gasses make a wall in front of your group. You pass through and look back to make sure your team gets through before hurrying on.   
"Sakusa really is bugging right now." Atsumu chuckles.   
"Think he's out to get us." You agree.   
Your group nears the final stage and you drop off the rescues, running onto a field with a platform at the center of it.  
"We've made it." Akaashi breathes.  
"Alright. From here on it's one on one." Daishou smiles.   
"Ah… I'm nervous again." You chuckle uneasily.   
"Good. You should be." Daishou hums and you meet his gaze. "I'm not going to hold back on you. In fact. I've already decided on how I'm going to win."   
"Y-You've been plotting against me?" You squeak out.  
"Yep. Ever since we first met." He smiles.  
"Whoa. Dude you're awful." Atsumu gasps.   
"That's a long time to be plotting for this stage dude…" Nishinoya comments. Akaashi frowns at Daishou, calmly taking a shotgun from one of his slots and cocking it.  
"Ah. Guess it sounds bad when I put it like that." Daishou raises his hands to them and meets your gaze. "I knew you were going to be someone I would have to take on in the Rescue Tournament from the beginning. I just didn't know we… I…" He stammers slightly, blushing lightly before closing his eyes and relaxing with a smile. "I didn't know you were going to become someone important to me… So I can't afford to hold back now."   
"Alright." You smile back with a nod. "I'll do my best to defeat you."  
"What makes you think I'll give you the chance?" He chuckles in amusement.   
"Aw…" You frown.   
The rest of the groups get there and a hologram pops up over the platform, showcasing the lineup for the combat stage. You find your name along with your first opponent's.  
"Yamamoto…?" You tilt your head.   
"I got Daichi.." Nishinoya pales.  
"... Why am I the first one against Ushijima…" Atsumu sighs. "I at least wanted to look cool for a moment."  
"I'm up against Kuroo…" Akaashi frowns.  
"Looks like I'm going against Bokuto first." Daishou breathes.  
"The rules for this final stage are simple." Hibarida rumbles, landing on the platform with a smile. "Knock your opponent out, restrain them so they cannot move, or knock them off the platform to continue to the next fight. Quirks are permitted of course… Do your best, and good luck…. Now then. First up to fight is Daishou and Bokuto." He leaves the platform as they go to it. The others go to the stands to join their classmates.  
"Ah man… I don't know who to cheer for…" You sigh.  
"Who said you need to cheer? Just watch and believe in both." Kiyoomi states. "Either way, if you win your first match you'll be up against one of them next."  
"Shit…" You frown heavily.  
Daishou and Bokuto face each other before Hibarida gives the signal to start. Daishou immediately takes snake form, launching at Bokuto as he opens his wings to fly up, wrapping around him and restraining one of his wings so he can't fly. There's a gasp in the crowd and you cover your mouth, watching with bated breath as they struggle on the platform for a moment. Daishou takes his human form and swiftly kicks Bokuto off of the platform.  
"The winner is Daishou!" Hibarida declares as cheers sound.  
"Dammit!" Bokuto jumps to his feet. "I'll get you next time Daishou!" He jabs a finger at him. Daishou bows to the crowd before pointing at you in challenge. A chill runs down your spine at that.  
"... I feel really uneasy about my next match." You mutter getting up.  
"Focus on what you can do now." Kiyoomi reminds you.   
"Right." You breathe and hop down from the stands, giving Daishou a high five as you pass each other. You walk up the platform coming to a stop as someone from one of the groups that you didn't get to compete with walks onto the platform.  
He seemed perplexed about this match up. He scowls and looks at the sky. "I-I'm not going to hold back!" He declares to the sky. You blink in confusion looking at the stands briefly.  
'Is this guy okay?' You wonder. He focuses on you, a heat wave suddenly radiating from him.   
"Ready? And, begin!" Hibarida calls.   
Yamamoto rushes you with a growl. You pivot, swiping out and bursting a layer of the platform, rushing forward and jumping up to give him a double kick to his chest, knocking him back. A blast of hot air makes the particles scatter away. You land and rush him, sending up another cloud spinning about and kicking him in the head, sending him staggering off the platform. A burn on the back of your heel makes you yelp and take off your boot to find the back of it had melted from the contact.  
"Good thing I didn't punch him…" You mutter as Hibarida declares your victory. You head inside to climb the stairs to the stands as Akaashi comes down.  
"Use the stairs next time, you barbarian." He teases with a smirk.  
"Wh- I felt like I had to do that since boss called me out." You scoff.  
"Yeah yeah. You did good, that was a fast win." He tips your chin. "Maybe I'll see you in the third round."   
"Bold of you to assume you'll be going to the second." Kuroo says coming down as well.  
"Bold of you to assume I won't be."Akaashi shoots back heading out.   
"That dude is kinda aggressive today." Kuroo comments to you. "He took out Oikawa with a beanbag during the first stage."  
"Pfft… Oh no…" You snicker covering your mouth.  
"It was hilarious though." Kuroo chuckles patting your shoulder as he goes down and heads out. You chuckle lightly going up to the stands, joining the others again.   
"So… Who wants to make bets.?" Futakuchi inquires casually.  
"I'm in." Oikawa and Atsumu say instantly.  
"I can't bet on either of them." Bokuto shakes his head.  
"I have five on Akaashi." Ryuu states.  
"I can't make a bet either." You frown.  
"Kuroo." Osamu holds up some money.  
"Akaashi! Get him!" Nishinoya calls.   
"Damn I want to cheer…" You grumble.   
"You better cheer for me." Nishinoya points at you.   
"Roger." You give a salute.  
Hibarida gives the clear to fight and Kuroo immediately tries to hit Akaashi off the platform. Akaashi flips to the side already having a bean bag launcher ready, pelting Kuroo with it. Akaashi lands, rushing him dodging whatever little columns Kuroo sent at him.   
"Go Akaashi!" You, Ryuu, and Nishinoya cheer. Akaashi flips over another column, throwing down a smoke bomb. There's a slight tremor but when the smoke clears Akaashi has Kuroo pinned.  
"AKAASHI!!!" The first years yell in unison.   
"He's so damn cool." Ryuu sniffs.  
"Right? He was like a ninja!" You gasp.   
"Ninja takedown!" Nishinoya laughs.   
"___!!” Tendo calls and you look back as he comes down to join you. "Everyone's going so fast. What's the rush?" He tilts his head, sitting beside you and handing you a drink. "Also I got you some snacks." He smiles.  
"Thanks. We are going fast. But I think that's because we're all unconsciously trying to conserve energy for the real threats." You breathe, watching Ushijima and Atsumu approach the platform.   
"Ah. I see. You guys are scared of Wakatoshi." He leans his head on yours.  
"He sent me flying without touching me earlier so…" You lean your head back against his.  
"Yeah I saw that, I was like 'Nu my ___…’." He chuckles. "That water stage was tense though."  
"Right. I don't think I could've made it to the surface without Daishou." You murmur and wince, covering your face as Atsumu is kicked off the platform after trying to land a punch on Ushijima.  
"That was a dumb move 'Tsumu…" Osamu sighs.   
"It's okay ___, he's fine." Tendo smiles pulling your hands down from your face.  
"The little fox…" You pout.   
"Okay my turn." Oikawa chimes getting up. "Cheer for me ___!” He adds before heading down.  
"Who's his opponent?" You ask.  
"Someone from one of the other groups. Think it said Matsukawa." Iwaizumi answers.  
"Oh… Go! Go! Oikawa!" You cheer. The others join in as the short battle starts. Oikawa, distracting the other with flying daggers before grabbing his ankle with a chain and tossing him off the platform.  
"Pfft… So fast." Tendo chuckles.   
In the following matches; Nishinoya's wind deity is able to overpower Daichi's pressure quirk and knock off the second year. Kiyoomi instantly paralyzes his opponent. Ryuu and Futakuchi both win their battles. Last is Kita against Yaku. You sit up a bit.  
"Hey. That's the guy that was caught by Claw before right?" Atsumu points at Yaku.  
"Yeah. He has a lightning quirk." You recall. "Do you think Kita will be okay?"   
"Well… Maybe…" Oikawa frowns lightly.  
The battle begins and Kita throws out some metallic gadgets, which pop up into little lightning rods. "Nice move." Akaashi leans forward. Yaku shifts before smiling, charging Kita, small bolts of lightning flickering under his skin. He twists about, leg swiping out for Kita's head but the other calmly dodges, grabbing his leg to toss him but he jerks like he was shocked by something, dropping Yaku swiftly.  
"So anyone that touches him gets a shock too…" Osamu comments.  
"... I'm so glad he's on the other side of the matches." You frown lightly.  
"For now." Kuroo hums. This fight takes a bit longer than the others thanks to Kita being quick witted, but unfortunately Yaku is too fast, knocking Kita off the platform.  
"Damn…" You sigh. "He was doing so well too."  
"You sure you got time to worry about him?" Tendo pokes your cheek. You pause blinking at him before following his gaze as Daishou stretches before hopping down to approach the platform.  
"Ah… You're right. Definitely no time to worry…" You manage before taking the stairs down, heading over to meet Daishou on the platform.  
"You look nervous." He smiles sweetly with a head tilt.  
"Don't act innocent, I saw how you took down Bokuto. It was like watching the nature channel." You huff.  
"Yeah. You're right." His forked tongue swipes over his lips, snake eyes seeming to glow as scales start to reveal themselves. His dark olive green tail swishing behind him in a rather intimidating manner.   
'I suddenly want to forfeit…' You smile nervously.  
"I'm honestly looking forward to this." Hibarida rumbles. "And. Go." He claps his hands together and Daishou launches at you. You leap out of the way quickly, moving to get around him but his tail catches your wrist, flinging you up in the air. You swiftly move to remove your glove but freeze when a giant snake head appears from below you, mouth opening to swallow you whole. You swiftly twist and kick off the side of his mouth as he snaps his jaws together.  
You land close by only to immediately get wrapped up in the large scaly body. 'Shit he's going to suffocate me.' You panic trying to move your arms as the body around you seems to shrink, a hand now grasps your right wrist firmly, the other being restrained by his lower snake body.  
"If we had been strangers. You might've won." He murmurs against your ear. "But I could sense every move you were about to make." He leans his head to peer at your face while you struggle to get free. "Forfeit. Or I'll bite." He hisses, baring his fangs.  
"Y-You wouldn't…" You manage.  
"Normally no. But with you… Yes." The front of his fangs graze your shoulder. "Do it ___.” He hisses. You hesitate and tense as his fangs poke through your suit.  
"I forfeit!" You call out swiftly. He releases you at that, humming in satisfaction.  
"Daishou is once again the winner!" Hibarida declares and cheers sound.  
"Tch. Dammit." You grumble, putting your hands on your hips.   
"Come on now. At least I didn't have to give you the anti-venom that I brought," He chuckles, leading you off the platform.  
"I can't believe you were about to bite me. I mean who does that?" You complain. He pauses to toss you a wink in response, making you chuckle. "Alright boss… Still what was that at the end there? Were you like… Medusa form?"   
"Yeah. I could've just given you the same treatment as Bokuto. But it didn't seem right." He says, stopping as you both head inside to head up the stairs.  
"So you… Just really wanted to scare me huh?" You guess, stopping to give him a look. "And what was that giant snake thing? Were you going to eat me or something?" You step closer as he stops and turns to you.  
"What? No. I was just… Trying to scare you yes…" He stammers avoiding eye contact.   
"Really? You wanted to mess with me that bad during a fight." You scoff, moving even closer.  
"I… Hey Akaashi good luck against Ushijima." He waves, making you look over as Akaashi comes down the stairs.  
"You were having too much fun out there." He responds to Daishou. "Like a cat playing with a mouse." Akaashi pats your back as he passes and goes out.  
"Oh really?" You tilt your head, watching Daishou as he shifts uneasily.   
"We should go watch that match-" He moves to continue up but your hand smacks into the wall over his shoulder and he stops in surprise, a small blush rising to his cheeks. He sighs and turns to you.   
"Daishou…" You murmur.   
"So what if I wanted to feel your heartbeat like that? I'm only human…" He scoffs. You blink at him confused at that.   
"You tormented me because you wanted to feel my scared heartbeat?" You try to clarify.  
"Yes. I may have… Over done it but… I was having fun." He says tilting his head and rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Sorry."  
"... That's cute… And sadistic of you." You sigh putting a hand over your face.  
"Sorry…" He touches your arm, trying to peer at your face.   
"No wonder you were so enthusiastic about this." You grumble, before peering at his face and chuckling. "Still. That was pretty amazing, boss. You totally read me." He blinks and relaxes smiling a bit in relief.  
"So you… Still wanna be my partner?" He says carefully.   
"Of course. That was low key fun." You chuckle with a smile. "Come on, let's go watch the match." You move to go up the stairs but he grabs your hand, stepping close as you look over at him. He gives a smile, meeting your gaze before leaning in and kissing you. Your heart jumps in surprise and he smiles against your lips.  
"I liked that too." He murmurs.   
"Yesss! Finally!" Mika cheers and you both jump, looking up the stairs as she does the cutest excited dance.  
"... I can't take that cuteness." You huff going up the stairs to squish her face between your hands, making her giggle.  
"I had a feeling that would happen after your showdown." She snickers as you and Daishou blush heavily.  
"M-Mika-chan let's go get some snacks." Daishou stammers, moving to guide her out. "Suddenly I'm hungry."   
"Fine fine. See you soon ___!” Mika waves, giggling as an embarrassed Daishou leads her away.   
You chuckle and hurry to the stands and join the others. "How's he doing?" You ask, leaning on Tendo.  
"He's alright. He's really handling Ushijima like I would a boss fight." Kenma answers.  
"A lot of dodging for him and not getting blown off by the shockwaves." Atsumu says.  
"He hasn't been able to land those tranquilizer darts though. If he doesn't land one soon I don't think he's going to win." Tendo comments.  
"What? Haven't foreseen this?" Atsumu asks.  
"No. Today I want to focus on the present with ___." Tendo responds, watching Akaashi nearly get blown off the platform by a shockwave that originated from Ushijima missing him. You blink and look at Tendo before hugging his side and focusing on the match. Tendo instinctively wraps his arms around you, head leaning on yours.   
Akaashi moves to regain his footing but Ushijima suddenly kicks out, knocking him off and sending him tumbling.   
"Damn…" You frown.  
"Still he lasted way longer than Tsumu." Osamu comments.  
"Let's be real here, anyone who ends up against that guy is going to be doing more dodging than hitting. It's like a quirkless taking on a dragon with just a stick." Atsumu scoffs.  
"Wow Atsumu. Is that how you felt?" Kuroo inquires.  
"I just wanted to give him one good hit." Atsumu grumbles.   
"Heh. Did not work out for you." You shake your head.  
"Okay! Nishinoya, you're going down." Oikawa grins.   
"We'll see about that Dorm President." Nishinoya smirks. They both head down to the platform and face each other. You shift before looking around.   
"Shirabu! I think we're going to need a shield during this one!" You call out to him. He pauses and looks over as they start, Nishinoya's wind deity coming out and smacking away the blades that Oikawa sent at him, some of the projectiles flying toward the stands but Shirabu's plasma shield swiftly deflects them.   
"Good call." Tendo chuckles.  
"How dangerous…" Kiyoomi comments unhappily.  
"How's Oikawa gonna deal with that one? That deity blasted off Daichi, so I can't see his chains being very useful." You murmur.   
"Oikawa doesn't only specialize in ranged attacks." Iwaizumi states. "Watch closely." He adds when you look back at him. You blink and focus on Oikawa as he pulls two swords out, his metallic armor seeming to change into something he could move better in. He rushes Nishinoya, diving at him. The wind deity tries to knock him back but he twists with the winds, sword slicing out and nicking Nishinoya's knee.  
"Uh oh." Ryuu murmurs leaning forward.   
"Metal king is dancing with the wind…" Atsumu mutters as Oikawa rather gracefully twists and turns, forcing Nishinoya back with each slash. The deity pauses his attack to gather up wind for a powerful attack but Oikawa calmly kicks him off the platform.  
The audience loves that, cheers almost deafening. Oikawa gives a bow, waving happily. "Show off!" The second years shout down to him.  
Kiyoomi and Ryuu go down next to face each other, but as soon as it starts Kiyoomi paralyzes him.   
"You should've hugged him more when you had the chance!" Oikawa calls, making you and Tendo laugh lightly.  
"Dude, Sakusa doesn't even try to make it fun." Atsumu laughs.  
"He's like, 'yeah, we're done here,' drops the freaking canister." Iwaizumi jokes, earning a chuckle from everyone.  
"Guys. Don't be a Sakusa, make the matches fun." Oikawa sighs.   
"No way. If Ushijima is still in then I still need my strength to fight him." Futakuchi says getting up. "My turn." He hums heading off as Kiyoomi soon returns and sits down.  
"Don't stare." He warns as the others look at him.  
"I'm going to make you into a meme star." Oikawa smiles.  
"What? You want me to hurt you?" Kiyoomi sends him a glare.  
"It's cute that you think I'll let you." Oikawa chuckles.  
"Now now. Save it for your match guys." Tendo waves his hand at them before hugging you tightly. "This is getting so good!" He whispers, making you chuckle.   
Futakuchi is able to send Yaku sprawling off the platform with a single 'knock back' attack soon after the match starts.  
"He pulled a 'Sakusa'..." Oikawa sighs.  
"I'm really looking forward to kicking your ass." Kiyoomi states making you and Tendo chuckle together.  
"Alright, Daishou and Ushijima are next." Tendo hums peering at your face. "Are you nervous for your boss?" He smirks.  
"I'm nervous for anyone that goes up against Ushijima." You frown slightly.  
They both get ready to start but a sonic boom makes everyone pause and look up as a meteor appears in the sky, making everyone stand up in alarm. "What the hell? Are we under attack?" Iwaizumi gasps.  
"Nishinoya!" You shout and look at him as he looks back at you. He swallows and nods, wind deity coming out.  
"Wait, you're serious?" Oikawa says, panicked.   
"Only way to safely get rid of it." Tendo points out. The wind deity picks you up, gathering up power before launching you at it. You let out a breath, removing your glove and reaching out with your right hand.  
"Burst." You murmur, left hand clasping your right arm to keep it from unraveling. The meteor dissolves into particles and Bokuto catches you as you start to fall.   
"Hey hey hey! I got you babe!" He chimes as he starts to drift down toward the platform. You blink as a group standing on the stadium wall catch your eye, sending a chill down your spine.   
"Bokuto… I think we need to evacuate everyone." You whisper, heart racing. What was going on? Why were you so scared? Bokuto blinks as he lands on the platform with you.   
"Alright, I'll tell the others." He flies to the stands as the group waiting on the wall jump down. Their young leader approaches the platform calmly, fiery hair swaying against a breeze that passes through the stadium. He seemed to be a few years older than you. His (e/c) eyes glint as he meets your gaze.   
'Stop him.' A voice whispers and you lift your right arm as he lifts his left, the air between you two rippling from your quirks.  
"So that is you ___." He comments. "You've been busy huh? Doing so many different things with our dad's quirk."   
"What was that?" You murmur in confusion. He smirks and the rippling air moves closer to you. A canister flies overhead at him but it bursts when it touches the rippling air. Your heart drops. You look at Daishou, making him pause. 'GO. NOW.' You tell him with the look. His eyes widen and he nods.   
"Ushijima! We need to get everyone out of here now!" He calls running for the stands. Ushijima hesitates in confusion before nodding and launching at the stands to help everyone out.  
"What's going on? Is Midnight screwing with us?" Iwaizumi growls.  
"What's that rippling air?" Nishinoya asks.  
"Don't know it burst my canister though." Kiyoomi gets ready to fire another one.  
"Don't Kiyoomi! If that paralyzes the other party, ___will burst them and those in the stands on the other side." Tendo tells him quickly. "And if you somehow take out ___ with that the same will happen to us." He warns, one of his eyes now glowing.  
"... Then what do we do?" Kiyoomi asks.  
"What you can, Kiyoomi." Tendo responds before rushing to find Rakurai.  
"Boss what the hell's going on?" Rakurai hisses when they meet amongst the panicked civilians rushing out.  
"Nothing good Rakurai. That guy has the same quirk as-" Tendo breaks off as the rippling starts to reach further seeming more agitated, a ripping sound starting to echo the stadium. "___'s…"   
"You sure are stronger than I thought." The newcomer comments.  
"Why do you have-"  
"Your quirk? I don't. You have my quirk. Which was our dear dad's quirk." He smiles. "Oh. He's gone now isn't he? Got blasted I heard." He chuckles. Your eyes narrow at that. "Oh. I know that look. You're the one that blasted him huh?" He grins laughing lightly.   
"Shut your mouth." You glare at him.   
"Oh. You got mad. You loved him then? How unfortunate for-" there's a louder ripping sound and the air moves closer to him. "You. Learn your place. Big brother is talking." His eyes narrow at you, the air starting to pulse now as it drifts toward you.  
'We're gonna die.' You think, blood running cold. 'What do I do? He's gonna overpower me. Why did this happen? What's going on? I need to change…' Your panic stops at that, eyes widening. "Change the fate." You whisper. There's a tear in the air between yours and his palm, a black growing in the air like the fabric of space was ripping open. "Change the fate! CHANGE THE FATE!" You shout as loud as you can panic returning. Something moves in the blackness making you pause. '...Dad…?'  
Your dormmates pause, looking to you before exchanging looks and starting to shout that as well.   
"What are they doing? Have they lost it?" Rakurai frowns in confusion. Tendo watches them, deftly stealing a pair of sunglasses off someone's head.  
"No. They're calling for help." He says going past and putting on the sunglasses as a glowing red circle forms around one of his irises. "Alright everyone time to take a few steps back."


	57. Tournament Cancelled

You blink, setting down the rescue you had and looking up at the last stadium just as the memories rush you. "Thanks Midnight." You breathe straightening up and looking at the others as they all pause.  
"Okay. I hate that but, it's very effective." Akaashi breathes nodding.  
"What the fuck just happened?" Daishou asks.  
"We're back before the final stage." You tell him. "I had a feeling Midnight was there so… We asked him to send us back."   
"It didn't look like we had a choice there…" Atsumu frowns and an alarm sounds, Hibarida soon comes out of the stadium.  
"The tournament has been cancelled. There's an unknown threat in the stadium and… I'm not sure what just happened… Maybe a premonition… But I think the tournament is no longer safe." He tells the group, seeming confused and uneasy.  
"It's not." You assure as you think quietly. You wanted to leave it there and run from it. "What unknown threat?" You ask him.   
"A black rip above the platform." He tells you.  
"It's still there?" You huff in surprise.  
"Yes… And it seems to have it's own gravitational pull." He informs them.  
"Oh… Great. Sounds like we made a fucking black hole in the stadium!" You kick the ground as you turn away. "What's next huh? My dad was a super villain and my mom's actually a cat?" You laugh slightly over to one of the city buildings and start to kick it.  
"... ___?” Akaashi calls to you.  
"And while we're at it, how about dropping the entire national bank on my head!? Take me out in style." You ramble.  
"What? No. ___.” Atsumu calls to you as the blue team joins up.   
"What's going on?" Oikawa asks, all of them now watching you kick a building and ramble to yourself.   
"Um… There may be a small blackhole in the stadium and ___ seems to have lost it." Nishinoya answers.  
"And what was his problem anyway? Why attack? What the fuck did I do now? Why can't we have a normal fucking event without things going to shit because of me?!"   
"The camping trip wasn't your fault ___.” Ryuu calls to you but you just keep rambling.  
"... I'm getting worried." Bokuto frowns.  
"I'll do something." Kiyoomi approaches you carefully.  
"I can't do anything. Why do I even have arms? What good are you?" You look at them, raising them up. Kiyoomi calmly takes your arms and wraps them around himself before hugging you close. You pause instinctively hugging him back.  
"Calm down. We avoided it." He murmurs rubbing your back.  
"No. How can I calm down!?" You pull away, backing up from him. "He has burst too!" You point out. "We all know how dangerous that is! And he attacked me! How am I supposed to protect you all from that?! We made a freaking rip in space and all we did was stand there until Midnight set us back!"   
"___, calm down we can figure something out." He tells you softly.  
"No… I'm… I…" You rub your face, tearing up. "What if he takes you guys away? I could barely keep my mind when Tendo went missing… I'm scared. I don't want anything to happen to you…"   
Kiyoomi reaches for you but, the reality of everything you said was haunting him now. It was haunting everyone actually. You sink to your knees rocking slightly and starting to ramble again. Kiyoomi watches you before kneeling down and pulling your hands from your face, making you look at him.  
"I'm scared too. But you have what he doesn't. You have us. And we can stop him." He whispers, cupping your cheek. "So get your head back on. The world's not ending today."   
"Okay…" You nod, relaxing. Hibarida's phone goes off and you look over as he answers it.  
"Melody? Yes… Yes… There's a bit of a…" He turns away from everyone as he explains everything to your mom. He soon straightens up, shoulders starting to relax. "Alright… Thank you, I'll come get you shortly."   
"She's coming here?" You ask uneasily.  
"She said she can repair it." He responds and you blink.   
".... Dammit! I'm going to have to ask but I don't want to know!" You cover your eyes.  
"___'s snapping again." Daishou frowns.   
"___!” Tendo's voice makes you look over as he leaves the stadium and hugs you. "Are you okay?" He asks and you blink a few times.  
"I'm… I'm worried." You lean your head into his chest. "I have too many questions but I don't know if I want them answered."   
"... I'll go with you. You're going to see your mom right?" He asks lightly. You stiffen slightly, gripping his shirt. "Nothing bad is going to happen this time… It'll be fine."   
'You already looked ahead after sending us back?' You think peering up into his eyes, finding one of his irises bluish. "Don't overdo it. Just stay by my side so I can protect you." You murmur reaching up and touching his cheek. His eyes widen slightly, blushing lightly.  
"I um.. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." He assures softly. You frown unhappily and smack your forehead to his chest. "Oof… Okay okay I get it."  
"Maybe you should've been looking into the future today huh?" Atsumu comments.  
"Yeah. Figures… The one time I wanna focus on the present is when something like this happens." Tendo smiles bitterly.  
"Everyone is being evacuated now. You all should join with your classmates and head home." Hibarida tells everyone.  
"Right… You're staying ___?" Oikawa guesses.  
"Yeah. I'll come back with Tendo." You nod.  
"Here. Just in case." Kiyoomi passes you a canister.  
"Take this too." Akaashi comes over, handing you a hand grenade. You and Tendo blink at that one, Tendo carefully putting it in his pocket.   
"How sweet, cautious, and slightly dangerous of you…" Tendo smiles lightly.  
"Contact us once you're on your way back…" Oikawa says, taking the lead back to the buses with everyone. Daishou hesitates and you meet his gaze before offering a nod, holding out a fist. He nods, returning the gesture before going on. With that Hibarida hurries to escort your mom from her hiding place to the stadium, leaving you and Tendo to wait alone.  
"Let's go wait in the stadium." Tendo smiles guiding you inside. You stop, looking at the tear quietly. It did feel like it was pulling on you but it was far too weak to do any damage.  
"Midnight said it before. That my quirk is related to space. But I didn't think it was true until today…" You murmur. He peers at your face as you frown softly. "Everytime I think I have everything sorted out this happens… Am I cursed? Like… Why can't I just have a whole month without this happening?" Your shoulders slump and your eyes trailing down to your feet. "I'm tired. And I want to run away."   
"If that's what you really want. I'll take you wherever you want to go." He says, looking at the rip. You blink and look over at the calm expression on his face. "But you won't be satisfied after a while. You'll regret walking away. You'll always wonder what you could've done differently."   
"Tendo…" You start with a frown.  
"So don't give up now. I'm not sure when but I'll help you make sure it gets better." He tells you. "I'll do everything in my power to make sure--" You pull his collar down and capture his lips to silence him.   
"Just stay with me and I'll be fine." You whisper. He swallows and pulls you into himself, holding you tightly.   
"Be careful doing that ___, I'm restraining myself here…" He grumbles into your shoulder.   
"Sorry… I missed you like crazy this past week… I'm just making up for it." You hold him even tighter.   
"... Don't ever apologize for kissing me. Ever… Because I love your kisses so much." He murmurs. You chuckle at that smiling a bit.   
"You know… I'm super indebted to Midnight now. What the hell should I do about that?" You inquire in thought. You look at the wall, leaning into him thoughtfully.   
"Hmm… Depends on what he wants right?" Tendo tilts his head against yours.  
"What if he said he wanted to marry me?" You ask.   
"That… Would be entirely up to you…" He murmurs.   
"You don't want to marry me now, Satori?" You pull back with a head tilt, pulling your necklace out from under your suit and fiddling with the ring.   
"I-I didn't say that." He objects with a blush. "Why are you teasing me right now?"   
"Because you're really expressive today. And blushing a lot." You smile sweetly.  
"What a bully…" He pouts at you. You smile and cup his face, thumbs rubbing his cheeks thoughtfully. He meets your gaze, staying quiet as he watches you.   
"I still want to bite the hell out of you though. I was so damn worried about you." You growl.  
"Please have mercy my dearest." He says swiftly.  
"I'm trying to… So when did you wake up?" You ask.  
"This morning."  
"And you came straight here?"  
"Mhm. After showering."   
"So you only ate junk food from here today?"  
"... Yes."  
"We should take my mom out to eat after this. Maybe I'll feel like asking those questions after I eat."  
"Where do you want to take her?"   
"I dunno. I don't even know what she likes… We'll probably have to bring Hibarida along too… Though I don't know why she would still need an escort if Dagger is gone…" You say pulling away in thought. He blinks and hums.  
"They are? What happened to them?" He asks.  
"They met… A sudden and unfortunate end…" You look away at that. "But I don't really care. They got what was coming to them."   
"That so…" He smiles softly before kissing your cheek. You blink and peer at him before resting your head on his shoulder.  
"Mhm."  
About that time, Hibarida returns with your mom and you both walk over to greet her as she makes her way to the rip. "Hey you two! ___ I was watching on TV and you were amazing!" She gushes happily reaching for the tear and making it seal up, the odd pulling air ceasing at that. "There we go."  
"You really repaired it? Just like that?" You say in amazement.  
"Mhm. That's my quirk. I used to be a healer hero when I met your father." She leans over looking down at you from the platform and pointing to herself. "That day his quirk got to him and he started to fall apart but I was able to save him." She grins. "The look on his face when he did just told me he fell for me then."   
"Could he not repair himself?" You tilt your head.  
"No. That's why he avoided bursting large objects, if he came undone that would be it for him." She shakes her head.  
"___…" Tendo blinks before peering at you as you look at your left hand.  
"Yeah… I have two quirks…" You breathe.   
"Hm?" Your mom tilts her head in confusion.  
"Hey Hibarida, is it okay for us to take mom out to eat? Tendo just woke up this morning so he really should get a good meal soon." You ask, changing the subject as another army of questions invade your mind. 'Not now.'  
"Of course. It's good to see you alive and well Tendo. ___ was pretty cold to me the last time we spoke." Hibarida pats his head.  
"What? Not ___.” Tendo gasps hugging you. "Not my sweet ___.” He cuddles you happily. Hibarida and your mom laugh in amusement at that.  
"So you want to take me out to eat? I'm so happy." Your mom smiles widely. "Where are we going?"  
"No idea." You and Tendo respond.   
"Tell us what you like." You request.  
"We'll take you there." Tendo adds.  
"Aw… It's cute that you finish each other's sentences." She smiles. "Oh! Can we get ramen?"   
"Of course." Tendo chuckles. "I know just the place… You coming Hibarida?"   
"I must for the time being." The pro responds.   
"Thanks for watching out for her. I'm really glad you're the one doing it." You hum as Tendo takes one of your hands and leads the way.  
"Well I figured this would be one way to repay you." Hibarida says.  
"Still, it's a lot of worry off my mind." You hum peering at her as she pats Tendo's head, talking to him cheerfully.   
"I'm so glad to see you again Tendo. We were so worried when we got separated and all ___ could think about was getting back to you." She says lightly. Tendo gives your hand a light squeeze at that.  
"I'm sorry for worrying you both." He responds looking down. "But I didn't see a better route."   
You watch him quietly for a moment, wondering how to change the subject to make him feel better. "Even though you had me worried. You made the right choice." You tell him and he peers at you. "Do it again and I will bite you though."  
"Ah you're using that threat a lot are you going to go cannibal on me…?" He looks away, seeming a bit nervous.  
"Mmm grilled Tendo…" You hum.  
"Melody..." Tendo sends her a frown, making her and Hibarida laugh.  
"___ don't threaten him." She says in amusement.  
"Don't eat him either. That's against the law." Hibarida chuckles.  
"Fine fine…" You smile kissing the back of Tendo's hand. "I'll just bite him then." You murmur opening your mouth to do so but he swiftly takes his hand away.  
"I'm about to feed you! Hold on a little longer." He breathes, raising an eyebrow as his lips pull up, looking at you with some amusement.   
You soon reach the place Tendo had mentioned, all sitting in a booth together. You and Tendo on one side with them on the other. After ordering you decide to start asking questions.  
"I have a brother?" You ask her.  
"... Not by me." She says lightly. "A year or two before we got together and I became pregnant with you, your dad had a girlfriend that got pregnant by him too. She was an awful woman, demanding nothing more than money and wouldn't let him see Kage after they broke up. He tried so many times, but once she cleaned him of money, she suddenly admitted to selling Kage to some organization… He searched everywhere, and that's how he came to join Dagger… We thought Claw had bought him since Burst and Splat were deemed highly dangerous quirks.." She trails off briefly, eyes flickering in thought.  
"Then when I got pregnant with you and he just… Wanted to do everything right by you and protect you. That's why he made me promise that if by some chance your quirk was the thing that took him away, I would separate you from me so they couldn't find you." She tears up slightly for a moment. "And suddenly that threat is gone. Fate sure works mysteriously." She sniffs.  
"What do you mean Dagger's gone? I haven't seen any news or papers on it." You tilt your head.  
"It's under investigation. So we haven't informed the public. But I figured your mother would like to know." Hibarida scratches his cheek.  
"I see." You nod before looking at your mom as the bowls are brought in. So no one knew your brother. He seemed to have some misunderstanding about your dad too. It all felt messy, and you still had no idea what to do about the new threat.   
"___, eat." Tendo pokes your cheek to draw you out of your thoughts.   
"Right." You hum starting to eat.   
"So is that snake guy from the other school your friend? You were working really well together." Your mom asks.  
"Yeah. I met him before our plane crashed and we spent some time on a deserted island together with the other survivors." You beam, making her choke slightly.  
"You were in a plane crash!?" She gasps.  
"Yeah that's how I met Mr. Hibarida too… You didn't tell her?" You look at the man.  
"I wasn't sure if I should. But I'll fill in the blanks later." He responds.  
"Okay. Anyway his name is Daishou and he's going to be my future boss, we decided that back on the island." You grin. "Oh. We were supposed to start renovations for the agency after the tournament… Is it really cancelled?" You ask Hibarida.  
"Yes. For the time being. If anything it might be a month or two before we host another one. Until we find the threat it's not safe." He points out.   
"Right…" You look down at your bowl.   
"___, I know you're worried but please leave this to the pros." Hibarida tells you.  
"Then I'll tell you my quirk's weaknesses. But hear me now Hibarida. If he comes to threaten the ones I care about. Blood or not. I will deal with him." You vow, meeting his gaze.  
"You're definitely Kieru's child." Your mom breathes as Hibarida straightens.  
"I understand." Hibarida nods with a small frown. Tendo places a hand on your knee as if to tell you to pull back a bit.   
"Sorry… I just refuse to lose any of them." You sigh looking away as you place a hand over Tendo's. "No more close calls…"  
"I understand." He repeats with a nod. The conversation sort of dies there. But your mom kept asking you about school and your friends so it's not like things went totally silent. After you finish eating and chatting, you say goodbye to them and head off for Raizu with Tendo.  
"Still more questions?" Tendo guesses.  
"More like frustration… How did I not notice sooner I had another quirk? Why is my brother a frickin mystery?.. What are we going to do if he attacks again?" You drop your head and groan quietly.  
"One at a time ___.” He pats your back before bringing you into his side. "But just so you know the current future looks peaceful for the rest of the night." He informs.  
"Good. I'm too stressed to worry about more bullshit tonight." You hug his side. "I don't even know where we are right now."   
"Approximately an hour away from Raizu. We're going to have to take a train or walk for like two hours." He tells you.  
"I wouldn't mind a two hour walk with you." You admit quietly. He blinks and peers at you before kissing your cheek.  
"Then let's do that." He rumbles.   
"Okay…" You smile.   
"So what did you do while I was away?" He inquires.  
"Well… At first I searched for you every moment I could. The guys were worried since I kinda… Stopped eating. Then once some pieces started to come together I went to see Kita and got this." You look at the ring thoughtfully. "I love it by the way…"  
"I'm glad." He smiles.  
"Then I decided to go look for Death since he's the last one that saw you, so I went to Nohebi and teamed up with him to go ask the villains where he might be. The boss gave me a rough location and invited me to join his group, even though I might have… Killed one of his guys for messing with me." You press your fingertips together quietly.  
"You did?" His eyebrows raise at that.  
"Yeah. I… I was not in a good place then." You breathe. "But it was late then so Daishou had me spend the night with him at the agency. Then in the afternoon he had to go escort Mika so I went to look for Death in Johzen. The bartender there said he was in trouble so I had to go find him at some warehouse… And when I was looking through the windows I heard them talking about selling Death and Midnight… Think I blacked out for a moment and when I came to the building and everyone in it except for Death was gone… He looked a bit worried but… I was fine.." You rub your cheek. "But he didn't have any answers either so I had to keep looking." You shrug and decide to leave it there. Death could fill in the blanks for him later.  
"Sounds like you had one hell of a week." He breathes frowning lightly. "Sounds like you weren't yourself."  
"I wasn't. I just didn't feel like caring about anything else…" You frown looking ahead. "So don't go again. I don't care what kinds of things you hide from me. Just… Stay with me." He stops and you peer at him as he leans over and kisses you deeply. You hum, kissing him back and he brings you closer holding you tightly.   
After a few moments he pulls back, looking into your eyes. "Alright I get it… I love you too." He whispers nuzzling your cheek. "You're all I have and am… I'll go to war with the world if it would make you happy. Break every rule there is to see you smile. I'll do anything for you." He rubs your sides softly. You blink and smile slightly, turning your head and kissing him again.  
"I don't deserve you." You whisper.   
"Well I'm here. And I'm all yours." He breathes. You smile more, searching his face.  
"We should keep moving. They'll worry if I take too long." You say, sending Oikawa a message.   
"Yep… So stop distracting me."   
"Me? You're the one that suddenly stopped to kiss me."  
"Cause you were being sweet and cute. What? Am I not supposed to want to kiss you when you're always like that?"  
"I was being honest. Nothing more."  
"You were being cute. You've been rather demanding today with your kisses too."  
"Really? That's your fault."  
"Heh… I don't mind it. This was a good day for me. I'm sorry it was a stressful one for you." He looks down. You blink and hum in thought.  
"Excluding the part involving my brother, today was pretty nice… I got you back after all." You hug his arm. "That's more than enough for me." He smiles and gives you a kiss. "Don't get us distracted again."  
"I can't help that." He chuckles. "I wanna cuddle. We should've taken the train."   
"... I wish you had thought of that sooner."   
"Ah well, I do get you all to myself for now."  
"Let's race." You say suddenly.  
"Huh?" He blinks and you chuckle, running ahead of him.  
"Can't catch me Satori!" You laugh.   
"Oh let's bet on that." He chuckles, swiftly catching up to you. He reaches for you but you swiftly evade him, playfully pushing him and keeping out of his range. He smirks suddenly moving in front of you and making you run into his arms. "Got you." He chuckles, kissing you deeply.  
"Mmm… You used to never be able to catch me." You murmur.  
"I had to get faster to change that." He murmurs.   
"I see." You smile at each other. "Come on. You're distracting me again. I'll never get back to the dorms at this point." You try to pull away but he pulls you back in.   
"Ah the day's still young. What's the rush? Let me love you." He kisses your cheek.  
"You're going to do that either way." You chuckle and he picks you up, continuing on carrying you and pressing more kisses to your skin. "Gah. Why are you carrying me?"   
"So I can be distracted by you and still make it to the dorms." He chuckles. You smile and kiss him, making him pause and slow down.  
"I love you. Thanks for coming back to me." Your murmur.  
"Thanks for waiting for me."


	58. Ready

"So… Sounds like your brother has some… Issues." Oikawa comments. Everyone had gathered in the living room to hear your findings.   
"A lot of them. I can't blame him. But I still don't understand why he's attacking me and why now." You sigh, shrugging. "Hibarida said to leave it to the pros but… We all know what good that does us… So let's get ready for a fight." You frown.  
"Right." They nod in response.  
"So let's list what we know about burst… Lightning has a bad effect on the user if you hit the hand it leaves. You cannot burst large objects without unraveling, though there have been a few times I was fine after, it's not very solid when I'll start to unravel. Unless he has a way to repair himself like I do he'll probably fight carefully. Unraveling also keeps me from using my quirk again until I'm back together. And even that hurts like hell." You touch your right arm.  
"So our goal in that fight is to force him to come undone. Burst is ineffective against plasma shields so we need to get some of those…" You murmur.  
"Wait. We're going to make him… Burst?" Bokuto clarifies.  
"Don't worry, I should be able to stop it. He'll be fine. Once I do we'll have to put a titanium mitt on his hand to keep the quirk out of the way. Like Claw did with mine." You tell them. 'But if he hurts any of you, I can just let him disappear.' You think silently.   
"Oh okay good. I was worried about that." Bokuto relaxes with a smile. "I mean. He's still related to you even if he's bad. I'd hate it if we ended up killing him."  
The others nod in agreement with him and you blink. How sweet… How naive. You look down still thinking to yourself.   
"Shouldn't you try to talk things out with him?" Akaashi asks you.  
"Did you see how he greeted me? If my instincts hadn't told me to stop him I don't think any of us would be here right now." You remind him. "If he was there to talk I would've done it in a different way…"   
"... Let's not forget, he wasn't alone. And I'm sure that the meteor they came down because of a quirk. And if we hadn't reacted then we wouldn't be here either." Iwaizumi adds.  
"They came out to destroy. But I don't like thinking that ___ was the only reason." Kuroo frowns. "The fact they never showed up again means that they're wary of Midnight's involvement too. If they were set on ___ they would've attacked again or shown up."  
"There were a few rich people in the VIP lounge. That was located on our side of the stadium too." Tendo speaks up. "If Kage was taken in by an organization we should try to find out which one so we can narrow it down and find their true goal."  
"More fucking villain organizations…" You groan covering your face. "Why are there so many…?"   
"Well, we know Midnight is at least on our side." Bokuto sits up. "And honestly, I'd like to have him nearby if ___'s brother- Kage shows up again. If there's another deadlock I don't think we'll be able to do anything even if we have a lightning quirk with us."  
"We can't do that. I'm sure he'll use it as an opportunity to get ___ on his side." Akaashi points out. You put a hand over your mouth in thought.  
"Let him." You drop your hand. "I agree with Bokuto… Besides Midnight knows how to deal with, burst. I'd feel better if we could get his help too."   
"... I hate it. But… You're right." Kiyoomi sighs. "If we're taking on a villain with burst. Midnight might be our best bet to keep him at bay."   
"So… How exactly do we get a hold of Midnight?" Nishinoya asks.  
"I'll look for him tomorrow." You decide nodding. "If I can find Death I can find him."  
"You're going alone?" The twins frown heavily.   
"I'll be fine." You assure.  
"Yeah ___'s safe with them." Oikawa nods thoughtfully. "Oh. Mika left something with us." He tells you, going out and bringing you a wrapped box shaped present.   
"Aw the paintings." You gasp as he sets it down. You rip the paper off to reveal a stack of canvases. The top one makes you stop and tear up. "Guys look...It's Marie." You breathe smiling as they gather around. It was a picture of Marie running forward through the darkness glowing with a golden light, transparent wings stretched out.  
"... Let's put it in the hallway." Oikawa whispers, picking it up and taking it to hang it up. You smile peering at the next one.  
"Look Tsumu, it's us back on the island." You murmur. "That's such a pretty sunset we're watching."  
"Yeah… Its going in the room." He grins setting it to the side. "And there's the Osamu one…" He scowls at the next one, setting it to the side to show the last one that makes everyone freeze and you blush.   
"Oh…" You cover your cheeks to fight down the blush. It was a beautiful underwater painting of yours and Daishou's accidental kiss.   
"I hate it." Kuroo and Oikawa say together.   
"I love it. It's going in the room." You pick it up.   
"Wait! When did you two-"  
"D-Don't worry about that." You respond.  
"Damn snake." Kuroo growls.   
Tendo chuckles following you up to your room. "Mika sure put a lot of care in that one." He says as you both enter your room. He pauses briefly to close the door and lock it.   
"Well, she says she ships us so… She probably just loved painting it." You hum quietly, finding a place to hang it up by the window. He moves behind you, arms wrapping around your waist, chin resting on your shoulder as you finish placing the painting.   
"Think she would do one for us?" He asks softly.  
"Maybe I could ask." You tilt your head.  
"She really captured how soft your skin looks." He breathes looking at the portrait. "Can I compare?" He peeks at you, lifting up your shirt slightly.   
"Tendo…" You blush lightly, pulling your shirt down.  
"I just want to touch ___.” He murmurs, turning you to him. "Please?" He tilts his head. "You can touch me too." He moves your hand under his shirt carefully.  
"B-Behave Tendo." You stammer blushing as he guides your hand up his stomach.  
"Just look at me. I want all of your attention right now." He smiles, removing his shirt. You blush heavily watching him.  
"T-Tendo what are you doing?" You question his sudden change in behavior.   
"Making you look at me." He smiles, leaning forward. "Touch me ___. Please?" He hums bringing your hands to his chest. What was this? Was he feeling well? Why was he so intent on this? As if hearing your ponderings he leans near your ear. "I'm craving your touch right now, just amuse me for a bit." He requests softly.   
'Well if that's it…' You purse your lips. "How about a massage?" You look at him. "Go lay on your stomach on the bed. So it's less…" You trail off.   
"Erratic?" He guesses, making you blush. "Fine. Sorry it was a sudden urge. But a massage sounds great." He rumbles, crawling onto the bed and laying on his stomach. You sigh quietly and crawl onto the bed, fingertips pressing over his back as they travel up his spine, making him hum.   
"And you said I was demanding today." You tease as you start to work over his muscles. "I'm glad you're all healed… I can't even see a scar."  
"Mhm… I was lucky you found me…" He breathes. You pause at that, "I know it was you. You're the only one who could've figured it out and brought the canisters I needed." He murmurs into the pillow.   
"... Is that why you never showed me your home? Were you embarrassed?"  
"It was too close to your old home. I didn't want to make you sad." He responds lightly. "But why didn't you tell me? Is it because you brought Death there?"   
"Yes." You look at his neck. Should you just admit that you already know he's Midnight? Nah. Let's leave that to him.   
"I could tell… Smelt like rot in there…" He murmurs. Still playing it huh? Your eyes narrow slightly, rolling your palm over one of his muscles and making him hum.   
"Sorry about that." You breathe, working the muscles on the small of his back. So pale. You blink thumb nail scraping against his skin and making him tense.  
"Ah… I think I'm okay now…" He manages, starting to get up but you put a hand between his shoulders and push him back down.  
"Who said I was done touching you?" You ask huskily, watching his shoulders and neck flush with red. "Heh. Your skin doesn't lie does it?" You hum leaning down and kissing his shoulder, peering at his red and shocked face.  
"I… ___?" He blinks at you innocently.   
"I still need to punish you, you know… lets see…" You smirk peering over his skin quietly.   
"W-Wait ___, what are you doing?" He asks warily. You look over his back again before leaning down and biting on a muscle on the small of his back, making him squeak out.   
"There. All done." You get off the bed and pick up his shirt, tossing it to him as he hastily sits up, touching the spot. "Be more mindful next time." You smile licking your lips as he peers at you in shock.   
"... You… Don't…" He pulls on his shirt backwards and covers his face. "That was so hot…" He hisses. "I'm leaving before you get to me more." He says swiftly unlocking the door and going out. After a while the twins come in looking confused.   
"Did you do something to Tendo? He was all red when he left." Osamu asks.  
"I brought up something embarrassing from our childhood." You shrug slightly as they hang up their portraits.   
"Oh okay then… Will you tell us? Because if that's his reaction-"  
"Nope." You answer simply. "Now let's start on battle preparations and tomorrow I'll find Midnight." You nod.  
"Akaashi's making tasers." Atsumu informs.  
"That might work, we can test it out on me." You nod. "But I really want some plasma shields for the school."   
"I can contact Shirabu to come stay here for a bit." Ushijima offers coming in.   
"I'd hate to bring him into this mess on just a hunch though." You frown. "But it's your choice. If he agrees we can pull the beds apart for him to sleep.."   
"Alright." He nods messaging him.  
"What else should we do?" Osamu asks.   
"Unfortunately we have to wait and see…" You sigh.   
"Well, Tendo said we'll be fine for the night so. I believe him." Atsumu pats your back and gives a smile when you look at him. "You should call Mika and thank her."   
"Right." You smile, taking out your phone and calling Mika, going out and climbing the stairs to the roof.  
'Hey! You got them huh?' She answers cheerfully.  
"Yeah. I loved all of them." You breathe. "They're… Almost as beautiful as you."   
'Aww… You're making me blush… Hehe… Are you okay though? Daishou explained things and it all sounded intense.'  
"Yeah. I'm fine… Just worried about everyone you know? I'm… Scared to lose any of them." You murmur. "Since they're the closest ones to me they're in the most danger if we get attacked."  
'But isn't that also the safest place to be?' She points out. You pause and relax with a smile.  
"Heh… That's a good point." You murmur. "I'll do what I need to to protect them…."  
'I know you will. So believe in yourself… Believe in them. And after it's over… Let's go shopping together. Daishou's birthday is coming up,' She tells you.  
"Oh really? I gotta get him something good!" You gasp.  
'Hehe we'll look together, and… Call it a date?' She murmurs and you blush lightly.   
"Ah S-Sure, I… I would like that." You smile.  
'Good… I'm glad you called. But it's getting late. You should sleep.' She murmurs.  
"Right, you too… See you later Mika." You tell her before you both hang up. You smile a bit, looking up at the sky quietly.   
"Hm? Babe!" Bokuto greets coming into the roof and immediately coming over to kiss your cheek and hug you.  
"Hey. You're flying tonight right?" You hug him back. "Take me with you." You request and he lights up.  
"Yes! Okay! Let's go." He grins, wings bursting out.   
"Ah… AAAHHHH!" You cry out as he suddenly bursts into the sky with you.  
"Shh you're going to worry the others." He chuckles as you hug his neck.  
"Give me a bit more warning." You whisper.  
"I said let's go." He points out with a chuckle  
"So where are we flying?" You ask him.  
"I was just going to circle Raizu… But since I have you… Let's go on a mini date." He decides.  
"Let's not go too far okay?" You breathe.  
"I know you're worried about everyone, but I want you to focus on me right now… Oh! Let's go there!" He chimes, taking off.   
"There?" You blink in confusion, peering about as he leaves the city area.   
"I found this place a while ago." He murmurs going to a nearby mountain. "It's really nice and secluded."   
"Oh?" You look at him curiously. He nods and starts to land, covering your eyes with one hand. He chuckles to himself, feet touching down on sand he sets you down and backs up, hands leaving your eyes.   
"Ta da!" He opens his arms to showcase the beautiful mountain lake behind him, the stars reflecting on the calm waters like a mirror.  
"It's beautiful." You breathe.   
"Right? I was saving this for our second date but… I think this will help you relax after everything." He gives a soft smile, tilting his head as his golden eyes look at you warmly.  
"You're so sweet." You relax and return the smile. "So. Are we swimming? We didn't bring anything to change into." You comment.  
"What's wrong with going in with our underwear?" He tilts his head, taking off his shirt and shorts, showing off his gray boxers with black cats on them.   
"Awe, that's cute." You comment and he pauses blushing lightly.  
"Kuroo got me them." He murmurs.  
"He did?" You blink in surprise.  
"Yeah, as a joke he got me a whole black cat themed outfit last year for my birthday." He admits.  
"Aww that's cute." You chuckle, "I want to see you in it now." You add starting to strip down as well. He pauses, watching you and starting to blush.  
"Sure." He nods as you straighten up and approach the waters with him, wading into the water together.  
"It's so clear.." You marvel.   
"Yeah. It is." He comments, peering at you quietly. You look at him and he stiffens swiftly looking up at the sky.   
"Whoa… You got nervous." You tease splashing him. He blinks and chuckles, splashing you back.  
"Shut up… You look so nice in the moonlight." He says sheepishly with a blush.   
"Awww you really like me huh?" You chuckle.  
"Nope… I really love you." He gives a wink. You blink and you cover your face laughing lightly.  
"Ah… You're so sweet." You murmur as he comes closer, kissing the backs of your hands. You uncover your face and meet his warm gaze.   
"I can't help it. I like seeing you smile, and I'm so happy when we get to spend time together." He grins. "Even if you end up picking someone else… I'll be happy." He shifts and pouts. "But I would really like it to be me."  
"Heh… I'm glad to hear that." You chuckle. He smiles and pulls you close, kissing your cheek.   
"Wanna look at the moon from under the water?" He asks.  
"Yes." You grin, taking in some ear before you both dive down, swimming deeper before stopping and looking up at the moon dancing against the water. Bokuto takes your hand, pulling you close and starting to turn about with you as if he was attempting to dance under the water with you. A chuckle rumbles in your chest and you give him a kiss before you both swim up to the surface for air, starting to chuckle together happily, hugging each other.  
"I love you." He murmurs happily.  
"I love you too Bokuto." You smile cupping his cheek. "Thank you for this."  
"I should've just brought you on a surprise date to begin with. If Akaashi can steal you then so can I." He says covering your cheek in kisses and making you chuckle.   
"Okay okay I get it…" You laugh trying to pull away so he focuses on your neck instead. "No! It tickles!" You chuckle, turning your head and capturing his lips. He hums happily, smiling when he pulls away.  
"Your laugh is so cute." He smiles at you.  
"So is yours." You smirk and he pauses.  
"Nope!" He gently pushes you away and swims for the shore.   
"Get back here!" You chase after him as he scrambled up the bank, sticking his tongue out at you.   
"Nope!" He laughs. You scramble onto the shore, chuckling a bit and removing your glove to burst the area, pulling it on. "Hey! Hey! That's dirty!" He objects opening his wings to disperse the particles, freezing as you suddenly leap at him through the particles. You chuckle as you crash into him.   
"Got you." You snicker kissing his chin.  
"So sneaky babe." He gasps, holding you close. "But really amazing too." He smiles. You hug him tightly, looking into his eyes. He meets your gaze, spinning about with you. "Let's get back to the dorm."  
"Right…. After we get dressed Bokuto! Go back down."  
"Oh! Oops!"


	59. Set

"Okay… Now we have Shirabu, tasers that can burst my hand and extra toxic devices to go off if we get attacked." You yawn at the dining table, everyone present for breakfast as you list things off and pat Shirabu's head.  
"Stop petting me…" He grumbles.  
"Sorry. So anyway, I guess next is the alliance with Midnight and then I'll take a group with me to track down that Yaku guy. In the tournament the announcer mentioned he was from Neko high. Which is to the north of here maybe a few hours away." You rub your cheek. "I don't wanna bring him in though."  
"His quirk is amazing though. And the worst match for burst." Kuroo reminds you.  
"I know but it feels like I'm just causing these guys trouble… I'm sorry." You glance at Shirabu.  
"It is troublesome. But it would be more troublesome if we never get a rematch. So I'll help you out." He states.  
"Thanks." You smile a bit now. "Alright… Well… I guess I'll track down that guy now. See you guys later." You breathe getting up.  
"Got the canister?" Kiyoomi asks.  
"Yes." You nod.  
"Grenade?" Akaashi asks.  
"I think Tendo still has that." You admit.  
"Take this one then." He hands you one.   
"I-I don't think I'll…" You pause as he tips your chin in response. He gives a meaningful smile and you understand. "Geez… Okay…" You blush putting it up.  
"So be careful. Come back soon." Kiyoomi tells you.   
"I will. See you." You wave as you head out. You get away from the dorms and give Death a call.  
'Hey lovely. Boss said you would be contacting me today.' He rumbles.  
"He's not wrong. I have a request for our dear Midnight. So let's meet up." You hum.   
'Ooo… Let's see…' He seemed too happy about picking a meet up place. 'I'll send ya the address. See ya soon.' He rumbles and your phone pings with the address.   
"You too." You smile before hanging up. You follow the address to a small cafe near the edge of town. ".... What…" You check between the building and the address. A group of giggling women leave the building and a familiar face waves them off with a smile.  
"Bye now!" Rakurai chimes before spotting you and grinning, holding his hand out to you. "Welcome. I've been expecting you." He greets as you take his hand in your confusion and he leads you inside. "Right through that door, can I get you any coffee or cakes?" Rakurai asks happily.   
"Um… No thanks." You manage.  
"That's fine… But, since it's just you and me…" He hugs your arm, chin resting on your shoulder as his soft blue eyes peer at you. "Could you give me a love pain?" He whispers with a small blush.  
"Love… Pain." You tilt your head utterly lost.   
"A bite, a scratch… A smack of passion." He presses into you.   
"... Alright fine. You're so weird." You sigh and he grins happily.  
"Oh! Not the face though! I don't want my customers to worry." He says cheerfully.  
"Fine." You hug him, left hand moving under his shirt. He happily hugs you back, shuddering as you rake your nails down his back.  
"Mmm… I love you. Let's kill people together later." He sighs blissfully, rubbing his cheek against yours.  
"No thanks. I got people to find later." You tell him, escaping his arms and going through the door he had motioned to earlier.  
"Ya took yer time." Death greets you in the hall.  
"Your doorman is… Distracting." You respond.  
"Ah. Gotcha." He nods leading you down the hall into an office where Midnight lounged.  
"So… Is this your cafe or did you kill the owners?" You ask him, sitting across from Midnight.  
"Rakurai's actually. He bought the place." Midnight informs.   
"He bought a cafe…" You blink in surprise.  
"Yep. Runs it himself too. I get to make the pastries though." Death points to himself. You blink at him for a moment.  
"So are villains this cute or is it just them?" You look at Midnight.  
"Definitely them." Midnight responds. "And it was pure luck."  
"Oi. Don't make it sound like I'm some pup." Death frowns.  
"But you kinda are." You comment and he scoffs looking away.  
"Alright. I gotta check on the muffins. Discuss what ya gotta…" He says going out.  
"Aww.. He got embarrassed." You snicker as Midnight chuckles.   
"You've been teaming up with them a lot lately." Midnight says and you look at him. "I've heard some amazing stories about you too. Are you sure you want to be a hero?" He leans forward.  
"I don't even know anymore. But I realized something when I was in that state." You admit, leaning forward, hands moving onto the desk. "That when it comes to the people I care about. I don't give a damn who I have to burst to protect them." You raise your eyes to the eyeshield. "I'll sink into the dirt so they don't have to dirty their feet…. So help me Midnight. Even if my enemy is blood. I won't let him stand in the way of their futures…"  
"How devoted of you. As always ___.” He sits back resting his head on his fist. His response and the silence after tells you that he wanted to help but had to get something out of it to keep up his charade. "I have a lot of enemies ___."  
"I'm not surprised with how bloody your hands are." You comment.   
"The minor ones aren't a problem.. But even with Dagger gone and Claw decaying. There are still many groups out there to cause us both problems. In fact. I think you would be interested in my late night findings." He pulls a document out of the desk and opens it as you both lean over it. "This is the assassin group Morderca… It's an international group that targets high priced kills. I'm not talking about some random hits either. They make their money killing people in power. And at the Tournament, there happened to be a prince in the VIP lounge."  
"So I was just an extra kill. They were after the prince." You nod.  
"And I bet they're still after him. Because if prince Lev Haiba gets killed during negotiations with our country. There will be a war." He breathes.  
"Why does it feel like things are about to get more troublesome…" You frown.  
"Glad you're on the same page." He straightens up. "As it stands. A price may appear on my head in the future. Since I'm rising in power it's only smart to eliminate the potential headhunters now. Wouldn't you agree? But if your blood is part of that organization, then I'll leave his fate in your hands."   
You put a hand over your mouth in thought, looking over the papers and photos. In the end he was right. Tendo would soon be hunted for either his crimes or for his influence.   
"Why not… Stop being a villain? What is there for you to gain?" You ask.  
"Power. That's all I'm after. Though for a moment there I was blinded by it and tried to get you to join me. But now that I've taken a step back I realize all I desire is to become stronger." He breathes. "This is the only way for me. It's too late to take the hero's course."   
'Why do you need power Tendo?' You wonder silently but decide not to press since he would avoid the subject. "Alright. Count me in. Let's take on Morderca." You reach across the table. He takes your hand and you both shake hands.  
"I'll set up a new place near your school. Your main concern is there right?" He guesses.  
"Yeah… Seems like the best way to lure Morderca out is to use the prince… I'll see if I can get him in our care." You decide.  
"I believe in you." He breathes.  
"And I believe in you. I'll contact Death about it later." You murmur getting up. You look at the eyeshield and smile softly, cupping the side of the helmet. "I'm glad you're safe." You peck the helmet before heading out.   
"Honey! Come back soon okay?" Rakurai waves as you leave the cafe.  
"I will." You chuckle waving back. As you head down the street you call Osamu.  
'Hey. Everything alright?' He answers.  
"Yeah. Midnight's in but we uh… Things are going to get a little more complicated…" You manage.  
'... Yeah we had a feeling that would happen. So wanna meet up at the train station and head to Neko now?' He inquires.  
"Yeah. Let's bring Atsumu along. It's been a while since it was just us." You smile.  
'Aw… I still gotta share you today?' He grumbles. 'Well… That does sound nice. Alright....'   
"Thanks Samu, see you guys soon."  
'You too. On my way.' He breathes hanging up.  
"Wonder if Neko will have more cat themed stuff… I want a hoodie…" You mutter looking at the sky.  
You reach the train station as the twins do and they give a smile, pulling up their hoods to show off their fox hoods. "Oh no… I was not prepared." You cover your face.  
"Don't look away. Look at us being cute for you." Atsumu teases pulling your hands down.  
"You're so cute. I can't handle you two." You chuckle looking away.  
"See? Told you ___ would like it." Atsumu chuckles to Osamu.  
"What's the difference from our fox ears though?" Osamu tilts his head.  
"Because you chose to put these on. And it's honestly so cute." You tell him, touching the hoodie's ears. "Heh… Come on. We got one more person to bring on board. Then we can eat and shop." You breathe leading them onto the train and sitting down together.  
"So what did Midnight say?" Atsumu asks.  
"I'll wait until we're with everyone to say. Just know… It's going to be a pain." You sigh.  
"Yeah saw that coming." Atsumu hugs your side.   
"Look at this cat cafe they have in Neko. Let's stop by there after talking to Yaku." Osamu shows you some photos.  
"That sounds cute. Let's do it." You breathe.   
You ride the train with them to Neko. You look around at the city and smile a bit. "It's so nice here." You comment. "Look, it's the Neko Neko agency." You point to the cute cat shaped building near the school. "So cute…"  
"Be cooler if it was a fox." Atsumu mutters following after you as you start for the school.   
"So how do we find Yaku?" Osamu asks lightly.  
"Well. Shouldn't be hard. He's small like a little cat. And we're at his school so… This was not very well thought out. And I apologise." You rub your chin.   
"We'll just hang near the entrance then, we'll get their attention." Atsumu shrugs and you three go near the entrance to chat. Eventually the students start to leave and as Atsumu said you three become a topic of the students passing by..   
"Hey. ___ right?" Yaku soon approaches with a smile. "What brings you here?"  
"You." You answer and he pauses in shock, smiling with a blush.  
"... Huh?"   
"I'll explain things over some food. Wanna come along to the cat cafe?" You ask.   
"Oh uh sure. Im free." He nods taking the lead. "So glad you came by we didn't get to chat during the tournament but I'm glad you're doing well."  
"Yeah for the most part. How about you? You were pretty badass back there at the tournament." You comment.  
"What?" He rubs his neck sheepishly. "No… I wasn't even serious then."  
"Really?" You blink in surprise.  
"Yeah I was feeling sick then. Might've been my nerves." He admits as he leads into the cat cafe. You all sit at the corner seat, Atsumu putting a kitten on your lap. After ordering food you explain the situation to Yaku.  
"Oh. Sure I can help. I'm ahead in my classes anyway." He nods thoughtfully. "Besides there were a lot of Raizu at the last stage so maybe I can get a power boost just being around you guys." He jokes lightly.  
"Maybe. Thanks Yaku. Go pack after we eat and we'll meet you at the train station." You say as the drinks and snacks are brought over.   
"Got it." He nods and you message Oikawa.  
"Maybe we should pick up some futons while we're here." You comment.  
"At this rate let's just add another level to the dorm." Atsumu huffs.  
"I like that idea. Let's add a basement." You nod.   
"... We can't put guests in the basement." Atsumu huffs.  
"Then I'll move to the basement." You breathe.  
"Then I'll go with you." Atsumu decides. Osamu pauses, straightening up.  
"I don't like the basement idea." He states. "Kuroo's range has increased. I'm sure he can add the new floor and lift the dorm."  
"So no basement?" You hum.  
"No. Feels like a bad idea. And what if something happens and someone gets stuck down there?" Osamu points out.   
"Alright alright." You pat his shoulder. "Didn't know you didn't like basements."   
"It's his fault." He glares at his twin.   
"Tsumu…" You scold, hugging Osamu.  
"We were kids! I was just playing… And he said I would never get married." Atsumu scoffs.  
"So you locked me in a basement?" Osamu scowls.  
"Don't act innocent, you locked me in the closet before." Atsumu retorts.  
"Cause you bit me." Osamu snaps back. You sigh quietly meeting Yaku's amused gaze as the twins start to bicker.   
"So I'll go pack and I'll see you guys at the train station." He says getting up and heading out.   
"Come on kitten. Let's go shopping." You whisper to the kitten getting up.  
"Wait. Don't leave us." Atsumu gasps.   
"Can we take the kitten?" Osamu whispers.   
"Says we can on the door?" You say. "So me and little Tobi are going shopping." You hum going out.   
"Wait ___! We should talk to the dorm before we adopt a cat." Atsumu gasps.  
"It's too late now. We're bonded." You respond.  
"Shouldn't have put it on ___'s lap." Osamu murmurs to Atsumu.  
"Well… I'll take responsibility then." Atsumu smiles going to your side. "Little Tobi huh? I like it." He hums.  
"What the hell…" Osamu blinks before scowling lightly and following you both to a pet store to stock up on cat supplies then the clothing store to track down a black cat hoodie.   
After you're all done shopping you head to the train station, meeting Yaku. "Ah thought you guys left me." He greets.  
"No. We adopted a kitten and took a bit longer than we thought to get things for him." Atsumu smiles and then nudges Osamu, pulling up their fox hoods. "I promise we weren't foxing around." Atsumu jokes.  
"Pfft… Dammit Atsumu." You snicker looking away while Yaku deadpans.  
"I made you laugh~" Atsumu chuckles hugging you. Osamu carefully takes Tobi's carrier and leads Yaku onto the train. Atsumu smirks, taking the opportunity to kiss you. "Let's miss this train." He whispers.  
"Oh no you don't." Osamu swiftly comes out and drags Atsumu onto the train. You laugh lightly and follow after them in amusement.   
'I love them.' You think sitting between them, taking Tobi's carrier and peering in at the kitten.  
"Our little sunshine." Atsumu breathes leaning his head on your shoulder happily.  
"I changed my mind about the basement. Let's make one and push Atsumu down there." Osamu breathes in annoyance.   
"Don't be mean Samu." You chuckle, patting Atsumu's head. Osamu glances at you before leaning over and cuddling your cheek in response.   
"You guys sure are close." Yaku comments, sipping his drink.   
"We've been through a lot together." You hum in response.  
"So much." Osamu agrees.  
"Is that why Raizu is suddenly strong?"   
"Yeah."   
You soon return to the dorms with the new recruit, leading the way in. "We're back!"  
"Welcome back!" Oikawa greets before pausing and looking into the carrier. "Who's this little cutie?"   
"This is Tobi." You smile happily.  
"Ooh! We got a kitten!?" Bokuto gasps, leaning over to look in too. "He's so cute!"  
"So you guys aren't mad?" You ask.  
"Nope. I'm going to expand the dorm anyways, we can give him his own room." Kuroo rumbles.  
"Awesome. I bet he'll love that." You grin.  
"Come on, let's get him settled in." Atsumu touches your back.  
"Ah but first. Everyone, this is Yaku. He's agreed to help us so be nice." You tell them before heading up to your room. Atsumu helps you set up an area for Tobi and you wait for the kitten to settle in before letting the others crowd the room to greet the new addition to the dorm.  
"He's so small…" Iwaizumi murmurs. "Has he had his shots?"  
"The website said that they all have them. They're just hanging out there until someone takes them." You respond.  
"He's falling asleep." Kenma whispers, reaching over and petting the kitten. "Can I take him to my room sometimes?"  
"Yeah of course. He's the dorm's kitten." You smile thoughtfully.   
"... Can I cuddle him…?" Ushijima asks.  
"Of course." You chuckle as the big teen curls up near the cat bed, petting the sleeping kitten. Ah… It's too cute. You walk out of the room to calm yourself, rubbing your cheeks and smiling.  
"___." Osamu whispers, taking your hand. "Come with me to the roof. I made you a special dinner." He smiles leading you up the stairs quickly. You both step out onto the roof finding a fancy looking dinner waiting for you.   
"Osamu…" You blink in surprise as he lights the candles with his blue flame. He smiles warmly at you, helping you sit down and kissing your temple.  
"I figured it's been a while since I did something like this so…" He sits across from you, lifting the dome. "I wanted to surprise you. Did it work?"  
"Yeah. You're really good at surprises." You chuckle sheepishly, looking at the food. "It's lovely."  
"Well I made it thinking of you but it doesn't seem to compare in the slightest to you." He hums casually.   
"... So smooth." You breathe, making him chuckle.  
"Please enjoy."  
"I'm sure I will."


	60. Go

"... Oh great now we're dealing with assassins." Oikawa chuckles, clutching your hand tightly.  
"C-Calm down Dorm President." You manage.  
"How can I keep calm? Your brother's an assassin. And we don't know what Midnight wants to use you for!" He groans. Yeah, you kept out that part.  
"Let's just focus on what we need to deal with now." You pat his head.   
"So. We probably won't get attacked again? Since the target is a prince?" Nishinoya clarifies.  
"Probably not unless the prince somehow ends up in our care." You tell him.  
"... But…" Nishinoya shifts closer leaning up near your ear. "Yaku's really cool, can we have him stay?" He whispers.  
"Yeah. Even though it's not likely now. I'm still worried about being attacked." You point out.  
"Um… Takeda sensei is here." Kenma murmurs, petting Tobi.  
"Oh… We might get into trouble." You breathe.  
"We'll hide them, you guys go talk." Kuroo pushes you and Oikawa into the lobby.  
You and Oikawa blink and look at each other as Takeda enters. "H-Hello Sensei." You both greet.  
"Hello. We um… Have a mission for Dorm One…" He smiles lightly, seeming nervous. "The visiting Prince has requested your services."  
".... Eh?" You and Oikawa tilt your heads in disbelief.  
"A bus will be here soon to pick everyone up. Get ready. And be careful and safe." He requests.  
"S-Sure." You wave as he goes back out. 'I didn't have to do anything…' You think in amazement.   
"So… think they'll notice if we have two extra people?" Oikawa murmurs.  
"If we use Kenma's quirk they won't." You respond. "What about Tobi though?"   
"Iwa-chan and I know a middle schooler that can take care of him." He assures. "I'll have Iwa-chan contact him now." He adds walking into the living room.  
"Guess I should let them know…" You mutter texting Death.   
"What!?" The gasps sound in the living room.  
"Let's become the prince's best friends! He could buy us anything!" Atsumu gasps Osamu as they leave the lobby.  
"How shallow." You tease him.  
"What? Me? No." He huffs looking away. "But He got money to spare so he should give some to charity… Like me. I'm a charity."  
"I wish we didn't share the same face so I can pretend I don't know you." Osamu deadpans.  
"Shut it! I'm pretty sure you were just thinking of opening some food stands." Atsumu retorts.  
"Shut up!" Osamu snaps and they both start to fight.  
"Guys. I was just teasing, don't fight." You tell them patting their head before pulling their hoodies over their eyes. "So stop foxing around and get ready." You whisper.   
"Yesss!" Atsumu cheers happily hugging you tightly. Fox tail coming out and wagging.  
"Get away from ___ your awful jokes are wearing off." Kiyoomi huffs.   
"Haha it wasn't that bad." You chuckle.  
"Oh no… You're becoming immune." He breathes pulling you away from the twins. "Vermin." He huffs to them.  
"You know. I just thought 9f something you would absolutely hate." Atsumu smiles devilishly. "Next time you call me that, I'm going to lick you. On. Your. Face."  
".... Do you have a death wish?" Kiyoomi frowns heavily but also seems concerned.  
"Nope. I know the differences in the scent of your sweat by now. I'll be fine. But you might just kill over with disgust." Atsumu sticks out his tongue smuggly. Kiyoomi leans away from him at that, eyes narrowing at him.  
"Fine." He breathes. "Come on ___.” He adds, guiding you upstairs.   
"What's up?" You ask him   
"Since things are moving to that point now. I want to equip your suit with something. Go get it on and come to my room." He requests as you both reach the second floor.   
"Right." You nod before going to your room and taking your suit to the bathroom to change into it. When you come back out you find Kenma putting Tobi in his bed. "Heh. You really like having the kitten around huh?" You comment, kneeling beside him to pet the sleepy kitten.  
"Yeah… He's cute how he always looks mad." He smiles before standing up with you. "Hey ___.” You blink and meet Kenma's eyes as he tilts his head, "I know you're worried. But everyone here is strong. I believe in them, and you… So when it's time to fight the boss… Don't forget that you're more than just a tank."   
"Right." You relax and hug him. "I believe in you too Kenma. You see everything that needs to be done. I'm glad you're watching over us."   
"Heh. You make me sound like some kind of angel." He mutters when you pull away.   
"Oh that would be a cute hero name. 'Guardian Angel'." You light up.  
"No. That's so flashy." He chuckles steering you out.   
"And then when you enter battle I can do that OooOoOOhhhH~."   
"Oh no please stop."   
"OOOoOoooHhhhHhH~!"  
"And I'll pretend like I don't hear you."  
"Well yeah that's what you're supposed to do when you have a chorus in the background… Wonder if the others would join in…"   
"... ___! Stop…" He laughs in embarrassment hiding his face against your back. You smile and pat his head with a chuckle.  
"Alright alright. I'll think of another name then. Go get ready." You tell him before going to Kiyoomi's room and knocking.   
"Come in." He responds and you do, closing the door behind you. "Alright, let's get you upgraded." He hums.  
"Oh. Am I a robot now?" You smile. "Can I start talking like Midnight?" You joke as he straps a device to your shoulder. He pauses blinking at you before chuckling.  
"Well… If you're any good at it." He says thoughtfully.  
"Okay let me try… 'I will change the fate.' 'Join me Kiyoomi come to the dark side. We have cookies that Death baked.'." Kiyoomi starts to laugh lightly at that.  
"You're awful at that." He rumbles.  
"Really? Thanks for the honesty… But it made you laugh so maybe the twins will get a kick out of it too." You tilt your head thoughtfully. "Kiyoomi. Have I ever told you how amazing your smile is? Like… When you first smiled at me I thought you were an angel and I was on my way to heaven."   
He blushes and covers his face. "Do you sit in your room thinking of cheesy things to say to me??"  
"No. I've been thinking that for a long time now." You chuckle grinning. "You're so cute when you get embarrassed."  
He sends you a half hearted glare from behind his fingers. "You're the worst."  
"I am about to get a lot worse." You acknowledge. "Kiss me Kiyoomi." You breathe. He pauses before quickly obeying, cupping your face as he captures your lips with a light blush. You kiss him back hugging him close as you deepen the kiss. His fangs graze your bottom lip making a shiver go through you before you pull away.   
"You okay?" He breathes forehead touching yours.  
"Mhm. I'm just hungry all of a sudden." You manage lightly. Hadn't realized how starved for his touch you were until now. You lean your head on his shoulder and close your eyes to drink in his scent and warmth. "We should hurry. You're not suited up yet."  
"Right." He breathes as you pull away, quickly equipping you with a belt lined with canisters.   
"Thanks by the way, you really didn't have to." You smile softly.  
"Don't thank me. This is just me making sure you're protected." He responds straightening up. "That's voice activated. Just say 'blank range' and…" The device on your shoulder releases a spray of paralysis toxins. "Can use that for five times before changing the canister."   
"Wow… You made this!?" You gasp in awe.  
"Akaashi and I collaborated on it." He smiles lightly. "It was kind of fun…"  
"Aww. I'll have to thank him too." You kiss his cheek. "Thank you for worrying about me."  
"That's all I do it seems." He sighs lightly.  
"Heh. Sorry then. Must be stressful." You rub your neck.   
"It can be. But seeing you smiling usually helps." He lifts the corners of your lips with his index fingers. You give a smile at that, chuckling slightly. "Yep. Worth all the stress." He pecks your nose. "Now get out I need to change."   
"I wanna watch." You joke and he turns bright red at that suddenly picking you up and carrying you out.   
"Bokuto! ___ misses you!" He calls and the second year suddenly appears in the hall, swiftly taking you from Kiyoomi. You gap at him and he shakes his head at you in disapproval. "And ___ wants tickles." He smirks before going into his room.  
"Tr-Traitor! Bahahahah! B-Bokuto stop! Hahah!" You laugh, wiggling in his arms as he kisses your cheek happily.   
"I miss you too my beautiful sunshine love!" He gushes happily, taking you downstairs.  
"You're so sweet." You mush his face. "Ready to go meet a prince?"   
"Mm. Dunno, usually princes are jerks right?" He tilts his head. "But if he's cool that would be nice."   
"My thoughts exactly." You nod.  
"Oh! Are we carrying ___ around? My turn." Oikawa steals you away once Bokuto reaches the lobby.  
"Oi." Bokuto puffs his cheeks while Oikawa cuddles his cheek against your head.   
"Oikawa… You silly guy, put me down." You chuckle. He pouts but does so.   
"Everyone ready?" Iwaizumi asks, coming into the lobby.  
"Almost." You breathe peering up the stairs. "Wonder what the prince wants…"   
"Probably us to be bodyguards." Akaashi comments.  
"Yeah. You guys were pretty amazing when everything happened." You smile at him and he pauses, scoffing.  
"You were doing more than us." He breathes.  
"Not really…" You shake your head and look ahead, phasing out. "I was just doing the minimal… I could've gotten us all burst." Your eyes narrow slightly.   
"And here we are. Because you were able to stop him and think of a way to dodge that whole situation." Kiyoomi says coming downstairs and tilting your head back to meet his gaze. "So thank you ___, sorry we couldn't help you on that end."  
"Ah… But." You frown and he pinches your cheek, eyes narrowing. "Ow… Okay… Thank you for doing what I couldn't."  
"That's better." Akaashi nods.  
"Someone's here." Kenma alerts.  
"Must be Tobi's sitter." Oikawa opens the door to reveal a familiar face.   
"Ah… Shadow quirk!" You gasp. "It's been a long time." You grin.  
"Good to see you doing well after everything." Yaku greets as well.   
"Hello again, thank you for saving me before." The raven haired guy gives a bow.   
"This is Tobio Kageyama, he's my kohai from middle school." Oikawa informs, roughly ruffling Kageyama's hair. "You take good care of our Tobi, okay?"   
"Ow… Yes." Kageyama responds.  
"Oikawa don't be so rough with him." You scold him.  
"Oops." Oikawa lifts his hand so Kageyama can straighten up, seeming to fix you with a stern gaze.  
"Um… Something wrong?" You ask.   
"No… Where's the cat?" He inquires, dropping his gaze.   
"I'll show you, we have a place set up for him." You beckon him to follow you up the stairs and to your room, pausing when you find Ushijima petting the kitten quietly. "Wakatoshi, his sitter's here, you can leave his side now." You smile in amusement.  
"Ah… Okay…" Ushijima stands up, looking at Kageyama. "Please take good care of him." He gives Kageyama a slight bow.  
"Y-Yes." Kageyama bows back and Ushijima walks out.  
"We're all really attached to him. But I'm not worried." You pat his head, making his cheeks dust with pink. "Take care of yourself too. See you later." You hum heading out and back downstairs.  
"Just in time. The bus has arrived." Kiyoomi holds out his hand to you.   
"Good… Suddenly I'm nervous." You chuckle taking his hand and heading out together.

The bus goes into the city, and to a rich district where a large white marble Mansion sits on a hill.   
"... Holy shit…" You mutter.   
"Kinda looks like a giant target." Atsumu huffs.   
"There are two agencies in this area so it's not like they're not protected. And look there." Akaashi points to the rippling light cascading over the estate.  
"A plasma shield… and it's massive…" You murmur.  
"... I want to look at that generator they have." Akaashi frowns.  
"Um guys. We should head in now." Oikawa says getting off the bus.  
"... Can't we just… Stay outside?" You ask uneasily.   
"Safer to meet the prince inside." Akaashi points out. You grumble a response and follow them off and onto the estate, sending Death your location.   
"I feel like an ant walking up to this place. Why does it gotta be so big?" You huff.  
"Maybe there's a lot of people here?" Bokuto tilts his head.  
"I'm going to be annoyed if there's only like five people in here." You sigh shaking your head as Oikawa leads into the mansion, where you're greeted by a single Butler who escorts everyone to the main room, a white marbled room with red tapestries. The prince stands from a throne, opening his arms with a smile.  
"Welcome future heroes! I am Lev Haiba! It's a pleasure to meet you." He gives a bow.   
"Ah. You guys are here too." A familiar voice sounds and you look over to see Daishou.  
"Boss!" You gasp hugging him.  
"Phew… I'm so glad to see you too." He sighs, relaxing.  
"Boss?" Lev tilts his head curiously. You and Daishou blink, breaking apart.  
"Ah yes. He's going to be my boss one day." You answer.  
"I see." He nods smiling.   
"So… Why are we here?" Daishou inquires.  
"Oh. I enjoyed watching your tournament, and it's thanks to you all that everyone is safe! So I brought you here to party." He grins. Everyone stares at him stunned. "Oh. You should change into something more comfortable! Servants!" He claps his hands and a few servants appear to escort everyone to change. One takes you to a different room from the others.   
"The prince finds you special so you have a pick from these wardrobes." The maid hums gesturing.   
"... Okay…?" You tilt your head going over and opening one. 'Dear God they're all so fancy…' You think picking out one. The maid leaves you so you can change into it. You frown uneasily, looking at your suit, taking the belt of canisters and putting it on under your outfit. 'I would rather keep my suit on…'   
You head out, being led to a ballroom by the maid. "Welcome back ___, you look great in that." Lev greets. "I'm glad you change so fast. I was hoping to talk to you about becoming my personal guard."   
"Huh?" You blink.  
"Your quirk is amazing, I would like to have it on my side." He hums.  
"Excuse me. But I believe ___ already informed you of our arrangement." Daishou appears at your side in a green and black suit, offering a smile as he puts an arm around your waist. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to steal my partner." Daishou breathes lightly, eyes narrowed with a false friendly smile on his lips.  
"Oh. You're really snakelike to slither up unnoticed." Lev comments, tilting his head.   
"Of course. The best hero is the one you never see coming." Daishou responds.  
"That so? Sounds like a good villain to me." Lev smiles, speaking frankly. Daishou's fingers twitch against your side and he shifts.  
"Oh the music is nice. Let's dance Daishou." You gasp, quickly guiding him away, pulling him in to dance with you. "Calm down boss."  
"Sorry. He got under my scales." He says in annoyance. "I had a feeling he'd try something since you were taken somewhere else." He grumbles, spinning you about.   
"As always your senses are amazing boss." You smile. He pauses before relaxing and tilting his head, pulling you in again.   
"You know what's really amazing? This is our first dance and we're completely in sync." He breathes. You meet his gaze and he smiles a bit more. "Mika says you two are going on a date soon?"  
"Mhm. If I can take care of the new threat tonight I'm sure we'll go in a day or so… I'm actually really nervous." You whisper.   
"I completely understand that. But don't worry, she'll handle it all." He murmurs, leaning his head closer. Your face was starting to heat up under his gaze. "Your heartbeat says I'm making you nervous."  
"I really can't hide much from you can I?" You scoff looking away. He chuckles, touching his cheek to your temple.  
"I'm a bit frustrated that it didn't really happen. But next time I'll…" He pauses and looks over as Kuroo comes over in a black and red suit.  
"May I cut into your business meeting?" He smiles.  
"Very well. I'm sure you won't leave if I say no." Daishou huffs before kissing your knuckles. "Seems you have a lot of dance partners lined up. Good luck."  
Daishou moves away at that, and Kuroo takes your hand. "Sorry. I was walking up before I noticed. You look really nice." He says with a small blush, glancing to the side. "Want to dance?"   
"Sure." You smile and he leads you into a dance, every once in a while one of you would mistep.   
"So… I'm thirsty, how about we get a drink?" He smiles sheepishly.  
"Sounds good." You chuckle with a nod, letting him lead you to the table prepared with drinks. You glance around finding everyone socializing and seeming uncertain. "Think it bothers the others that we're partying."  
"Right? Doesn't seem like the time for it but the prince seems pretty confident in his defenses…" Kuroo agrees, peering about as well. "Oh. Sakusa finally changed." He comments in surprise and you follow his gaze, feeling yourself blush when you find Kiyoomi approaching you. Kuroo glances at you and sighs. "Go to him ___." He nudges you forward. You glance at him and he nods. "Probably gonna be a better dance partner." He jokes. You chuckle and go over to meet Kiyoomi.  
"Look at you. So handsome and moving around the crowds." You admire looking him over. "You're more suited to be a prince than Lev." You mutter.  
"No thanks. Sounds like a pain… Even though this place is very clean." He comments. "You look amazing." He murmurs softly.  
"Thank you…" You duck your head sheepishly. "And I'm pretty sure that's because there's only like ten people staying in this giant place." You peer about as he takes your hand.  
"Dance with me on the balcony." He murmurs.  
"Got tired of the crowd already huh?" You guess as he leads you out.  
"Yes. And I wanted to steal you." He admits, pulling you into a dance. "You feel you also are uneasy about this."  
"Yeah… You have part of your suit still on don't you?" You guess.  
"Of course. The moment our guards are down is when we'll be attacked." He huffs lightly.  
"True." You sigh lightly resting your head on his shoulder. "But this is nice. Seeing everyone all dressed up." You smile softly closing your eyes. You both come to a stop and he holds you close.  
"It is, isn't it?" He agreed softly. "But as always the best part is being able to hold you like this… Just feel calm and warm." He whispers. You pull your head back to meet his gaze. "I'm so in love with you."   
"Kiyoomi, you…" You blush heavily and grin. "I lov-"  
The sky above lights up and you both look up as a meteor comes down, hitting the shield and making everything malfunction, all of the power grid going off.  
"... Every fucking time." You both growl together.


	61. Revealed

You rush inside with Kiyoomi as the ballroom's walls turn into particles. "Lev! Behind me!" You call.  
He swiftly does so and Akaashi fires into the courtyard. "Enemy spotted." He states.  
"There's four of them." Kenma informs just as your brother and three others jump onto the level you were on.  
"Kage." You breathe, feeling some of the others move behind you.  
"Ah. You know my name." He smiles and you steadily approach him. "We keep running into each other don't we? Maybe we're supposed to kill each other huh? Only one should have Burst. Wouldn't you agree?" He says lowly.  
"Is that why you attacked first?" You ask.  
"Of course. You thought the same too right?" His eyes pierce yours. "This power is too much for two to have it. One should be eliminated."   
"What the hell are you talking about dude? You're family!" Atsumu snaps.  
"I have no family. And I don't need any. In the end everyone is disposable." He breathes, left hand suddenly moving but you catch it in your left hand.  
"Not them." You whisper, swinging your right fist into his jaw. The other three enemies move but your dormmates collide with them. Yaku and Shirabu guarding Lev.   
"Oh? You sure they will stick around?" Your brother sneers. "Face it. I see blood in your eyes. No one stays with a murderer!" He snaps. You freeze, making his lips curl up. "That's right. I know what happened to Dagger. We used to have cameras everywhere in there you know. Then one day some mysterious person walks in. Raises their hand and Dagger disappears from the map."  
You shake slightly at that, blood running cold. "What's he talking about ___?" Kiyoomi asks.  
"Oh? They don't know you killed almost two hundred people? They don't know how you hollowed out their leader and left his shell in the mud?" Kage grins as you seem to still entirely.   
"___…?" Bokuto murmurs. Kage suddenly kicks you away and you go tumbling as some of the others are sent tumbling as well.  
"Goodbye disposables." Kage raises his left hand to but you swiftly bring up your right hand, the air rippling in front of him.   
The others move back at that and you carefully stand up, keeping your right hand aimed at him. Your mind felt like it was rattling as you swallow, stepping in front of the others.  
"Yeah. I did it. But how can you tell the people you care about? Was I supposed to say, 'Oh yeah! While I was out falling apart looking for my friend, I killed a lot of people! And I didn't feel a damn thing!'..." You say in distress. "In the end I'm just a selfish monster that will do anything to keep what I have."  
"___…” Kiyoomi murmurs.   
"And that's the tea!" Kage laughs. "Now disappear." His smile falls and the air starts to ripple dangerously.   
"You think I'll be kind this time." You breathe, pushing back and stepping forward, making the wall inch toward him. He pauses, trying to push more but to no effect as you take another step forward. A tear was starting to appear now. A flicker of blue catches your eye and you close your right hand as a bluish blade slashes his left hand, making it unravel.   
"Shit!" He hisses, holding his left hand as you seal the rip, moving forward and punching him again.   
Black water crashes into the other enemies, slinging them across the estate. Kage glares at you, right hand lighting up before he punches you in return, a blast sending you through the wall.   
"___!" Daishou calls out.  
"Reneta!" Kage shouts in agitation, and a silver haired woman appears at his side, repairing his left hand. "There we go." He smirks, moving to raise his left hand again but Midnight's heel meets his face, sending him flying back. Midnight twists, one of his blade's bursting Kage's hand again, the other slicing at the woman but she swiftly returns to hiding.  
"I'm tagging in now… Get up ___." Midnight calls out to you.   
"Fucking… Gimme a minute." You try to get up, the world spinning.  
"Ah… You're still alive!?" Kage bursts in annoyance. "Reneta!" He shouts for repair again. Midnight moves to attack him but a shadow spear flies in from the courtyard, slicing his thigh.  
"Tch." Midnight pivots slightly, dodging another one as a wall of black water shields him from more. "Why are the rest of you just sitting back?" Midnight questions them.   
"Don't look away from your prey bastard!" Kage growls, glowing right hand swiping at Midnight's head suddenly but Kiyoomi stomps Kage's stomach, knocking him back.  
"Just forgot to move." He breathes when Midnight looks at him.  
"Glad you remembered how." Midnight rumbles.  
"___! You okay?" Daishou comes through the hole, touching your back.  
"The fuck did he hit me with? Everything's spinning like crazy…" You huff nauseated.  
"Um, his hand. Looks like he has two quirks." He helps you to your feet. "Come on. Pull yourself together."  
"Working on it." You touch your head, seeming to see clearly now.   
"Sakusa!!" Atsumu calls out, making you jump back through the hole. Kiyoomi falls back, one of his legs unraveling as Midnight forces Kage and the silver haired woman back.   
"I'm sorry Kiyoomi!" You gasp kneeling beside him, left hand pulling his leg back together. Once it's restored Kiyoomi covers his mouth to muffle a cry of pain. "Sorry! Sorry!" You gasp teary eyes.  
"___! I need you!" Midnight calls. You blink and hurry over, spinning around him and bursting Kage's right hand as it lights up. You catch his left hand before he can burst you. Midnight moves for the woman as she flickers about, suddenly kicking him in the head.   
"Shit. Damn you." Kage hisses out. "I'm supposed to be stronger… Why did you have to be born? You're in the way." He snarls.  
"Just surrender Kage. You can't fight anymore." You manage.  
"I have a better idea. Show them who you really are… Or lets all go to hell together." He grins viciously, a light starting to pulse under his skin and he starts to grow bigger.  
"He's self-destructing!" Midnight shouts, dispatching the silver haired woman. Your eyes widen as you look up at Kage. He was going to make you kill him.  
"Do it ___! Or your disposables are gonna die!" He laughs. Your right hand twitches.  
"As you wish." You whisper swiping with your right hand and making him burst. The red cloud lingers and you wipe the sweat from your chin, looking at the others briefly.  
"Boss! I found their ship! Let's go take them down!" Rakurai chimes landing on a skull.  
"___." Midnight prompts.  
"Right." You turn and move to join them but someone grabs your left hand. You look back and meet Daishou's serious gaze.  
"Come back in one piece." He breathes. Your eyes widen at that. Even now? After everything? He still wanted you around? Your eyes warm with tears and you turn to him, getting down on one knee, forehead resting against the back of his hand that still held yours.  
'If Lev Haiba is a prince. Then Suguru Daishou is a King.' You think, lifting your head to meet his gaze and kiss his knuckle. Daishou gives you a nod and you stand up before turning and joining the villains.  
"Let's finish it." You breathe. Rakurai grins, chains wrapping around you three before the rest lift you all up and takes you away from the estate.  
"... What just happened? Did we win?" Lev inquires, completely lost.  
"Doesn't feel like it…" Bokuto murmurs frowning heavily. "Is ___ okay?"  
"I think… ___ feels like we're going to abandon them…" Akaashi frowns lightly.  
"Well? Are you?" Daishou turns to them. "If so maybe it's for the best. Shows how weak your resolve was from the beginning." He states coolly. "I think it says alot when ___ will cross lines like that just to keep you all here."

"They hate me." You whisper, looking down at the city as Rakurai's chains bring you over it like a spider.  
"What?? Hate ya? I don't think thats it ___.” Death huffs to frowning lightly and looking past you at Midnight.  
"Why wouldn't they? I lied to them… A lot. My hands are covered in blood… And I'm… Just not worth it…" You frown rubbing your temple.   
"Don't run now." Midnight says and you look at him. "You'll regret it."  
"Heh. Right as always…" Your lips pull up.   
"Eh? I thought we wanted ___ to join us?" Rakurai tilts his head with a pout.  
"Not like this." Midnight responds. "Are we close?"  
"Mhm." Rakurai points to a yacht at the harbor.   
"I can take it all out right now." You breathe, reaching out your right arm.   
"___!” Midnight's call too late as an old man appears in front of you.  
"You rats should've just taken the win." He rumbles before he backflips and kicks you higher into the sky.   
"___!" Rakurai calls, setting Midnight and Death down, lightning over him as he glares at the enemy who calmly lands on a nearby building.   
'So tired… I'm tired of getting hit, tired of them crying out my name…' You twist in the air, pointing at the man. 'Tired of you.' Then poof! A red cloud takes his place. Rakurai catches you with his chains quickly. He seemed to be saying something but you can't hear him over your mind buzzing. You roll out of chains, landing in the alley below and continuing for the harbor. 'Maybe… I should just become a vill-'  
"Come back in one piece." Daishou's voice sounds behind you and stop, looking back to see no one.  
"Yes boss. Right after this." You breathe quickly continuing on, Rakurai and the other two joining you.  
"___? You okay?" Death asks you warily.  
"Yeah. Sorry. Lost myself for a moment." You admit.  
"Stress is getting to you." Midnight remarks.  
"You need a vacation." Rakurai nods making you laugh out.   
"As if I'm lucky enough to have one!" You say bitterly, reaching the Harbor. You look over the yacht as the anchors start to raise. "Sorry guys. It's far too late for that." You breathe swiping out with your arm, it comes unravelled as the upper portion of the yacht becomes particles. You fall on your butt to repair your arm. "Death. Handle the rest." You request.   
"On it." He rumbles, moving forward, bringing a giant black wave out of the ocean to slam down on the rest of the yacht, sinking it without mercy. "Done boss." He turns back giving a thumbs up.  
"Good job." You and Midnight say together before pausing.  
"Ah… My bad Midnight." You murmur as Rakurai kicks a rock pouting.  
"I wanted to kill someone today…" He grumbles as Midnight helps you to your feet.  
"You should return to them." Midnight breathes.  
"Yeah… Wish I had brought my phone. Gonna be a long walk back." You sigh.  
"Not if I throw you." Rakurai points to himself.  
"... Yeah I'm sure if they don't want to catch me I can just go splat." You hum. Death smacks you at that, making you wince and look at him in surprise.  
"What makes ya so sure they won't act out like you did when ya were looking for Tendo eh? Stop assuming wifout proof. Now. Get ya ass tossed back ta yer buddies and give em hugs cause they all must be worried about ya." He folds his arms.  
"Oh. He became a wolf…" You mutter. You and Midnight pat his head. Making him sigh heavily. "Thanks Kobalt." You offer a small smile before hugging him. He blinks and touches your back softly.  
"I might not know a lot about love… But I know what it looks like when ya have people that care about ya…" He breathes. "Now get goin."   
"Alright. I think we came from that way." Rakurai points. Death and Midnight straighten, seeming a bit alarmed before looking at you as the black chain wraps around you.  
"Ssssplat." You hiss to them just before Rakurai throws you.  
"Rakurai, I swear ta god ya better be right." Death points at him.  
"Still not sure. But I saw that owl guy so I aimed for him." Rakurai waves his hand.  
"... Rakurai… I love having you around." Midnight snickers.  
"Awww.. Boss…" Rakurai blushes giving a shy wave in response.  
"Look at him all blushy. Ya cute lil bastard." Death rumbles ruffling his hair.

You and Bokuto collide, tumbling through the air until he straightens up, holding you upside down. "B-Babe?"  
"That hurt…" You murmur as he swiftly flips you upright.  
"Sorry. You okay?" He touches your cheek. You meet his gaze before resting your head on his chest.   
"Not really… But the threat is gone so let's go back." You respond.  
"Alright… But let me say this.." He swallows. "Thank you. For making that hard decision for us." He breathes.   
You can't find your voice to respond to that, and he holds you a bit tighter, flying back with you and landing, setting you down. You pause as they rush to hug you, even the very confused prince joins in.   
"Why?" You murmur.  
"You act like it would be easy for us to turn away now." Oikawa huffs.  
"You still…." You trail off and Kiyoomi hugs you tightly.  
"I will. Always." He answers. Tears come to your eyes and you grip the back of his shirt, burying your face in his shoulder and sinking to your knees with him.  
"Thank you."

After that Lev invites everyone to stay the night in the west wing of the mansion letting the pros take over. Everyone got their own ridiculously big room for the night.  
You felt sore still, not able to fall asleep even though your eyes demanded it from your earlier breakdown. Now you sat at the window, looking out quietly, hugging your knees to your chest. You felt better, but still uneasy over everything. You couldn't bring yourself to fully trust their words, because it all seemed so unbelievable that they still loved you after everything was put on the table like that.  
"You know. You should really get some sleep." Daishou's voice makes you squeak out and almost fall off your seat. He chuckles lightly at that, tail helping you steady. "Sorry. Guess you didn't hear my soft knock from across this big ass room."   
"No. I didn't." You shake your head and peer about the mostly empty room. "Why are they so big anyway?"  
"Don't know but I sure envy them… Though my room at the agency is almost this big." He smiles thoughtfully, sitting across from you. "Hmm.. You don't look happy, so you must be in denial right?" He guesses tilting his head as he peers at you.  
"Yeah. I mean… How could they still want me around after everything?" You sigh.  
"Would you still want them around if they had been the ones to do it?" He questions.   
"Of course I would. They're not bad guys they're just doing what they need to-- Oh…" Your shoulders slump.   
"There it is. Shows that you understand now." He pokes your nose. "I'm glad you came back though. For a moment I wasn't sure if you were." He breathes leaning his cheek into his palm. You shift, meeting his gaze.  
"I wasn't going to. But I heard your voice… It was so loud I turned around… So thanks Daishou…" You murmur. He blinks before smiling widely.  
"You know… I'm so glad we met. You make me feel so good sometimes." He chuckles happily. You blink and chuckle to, moving closer and hugging him. He hugs you back tightly, nuzzling your shoulder.  
"I'm glad we met too… You're the best king ever." You breathe.  
"... King?" He mutters in confusion you pull back blushing lightly.  
"... I meant boss." You cough.  
"But you said king and now I'm curious to know why." He smiles taking your hand between his.   
"It was just a random thought I had when you stopped me earlier…" You scoff looking to the side. He chuckles in amusement, tail swishing happily behind him as his lips press against your fingertips.   
"Yeah. That gesture of yours did feel knightly." He hums thoughtfully.  
"You're really enjoying this aren't you." You huff smiling a bit.  
"Of course. I'm incredibly happy right now. I like everything you're saying." He responds, moving your hand to his cheek and closing his eyes. "Let me sleep in here tonight. It's a bit cold here and reptiles don't do well in the cold."  
"Okay. We should get some sleep."  
"Yeah…" He yawns as you both head to the bed. "Bed's so damn big too.."   
"Right?" You agree crawling in and meeting him in the middle, cuddling up to him. He smiles holding you close.   
"I'm a king…"  
"Oh no… Daishou."  
"It's too late now. I'm going to embrace it."  
"Your majesty please get ahold of yourself."  
"I really like that."   
"You're… Something else boss…"


	62. Darkness

"___." Yaku meets you in the hall with a sort of grave expression. "I appreciate what you did to save me at Claw, and how you saved us last night…. And I can't really blame you for the Dagger thing that I know almost nothing about…" He looks down briefly before meeting your gaze. "I spoke with the prince about keeping Dagger silent. Though he didn't seem to care in the least, but let me say this. I don't think I can really agree with taking lives so easily…. I'm sure I'm not the only one bothered by that fact. I won't say anything. I owe you that much." He gives a bow before continuing to the entrance.   
'So easy huh…' You think looking at your right hand.  
"I'd be surprised if there wasn't backlash for everything that was said last night." Daishou steps beside you. You blink and look over at him as he peers at your right hand. "If it's too much you're always welcome to my side. I'll give you an escape for a bit."   
"Thanks boss." You lean on him before you both head to the front of the mansion where the others were grouping up to get on the bus. Some avoid your gaze and the others offer small nods. You and Daishou share a look and he squeezes your hand briefly. "Guess I'll see you soon."  
"I'll be waiting." He responds as you move onto the bus after the others.  
The ride to the dorms is silent, so you end up messaging Tendo about everything. Though he already knew it all, maybe you just wanted to recap. Beside you, Osamu shifts slightly, drawing your gaze. "I uh… Snagged these from the kitchen." He opens up a tub of cakes, offering you some with a small smile.   
"They look delicious. Thanks." You murmur, taking one to eat. The sweetness makes you feel better and you hum softly. "They're good." You murmur. He watches you before leaning over and kissing your cheek.   
"Thank you for saving us last night." He whispers. You blink at him before smiling softly.   
"Don't mention it."

You reach the dorm, being greeted by Kageyama and a familiar face. "Hello! I don't know if you remember me but I'm Hinata!" He declares and gives a bow. You go over and pat his head with a small smile.   
"Good to see you." You greet. "How was Tobi?"   
"He's well." Kageyama says. "I don't think he likes me though." He looks at his scratched up hands with a severe frown. You blink and hum, pulling out K.K for him to take a breath.   
"Sorry he was rough with you. Thank you for watching him." You smile once his hands heal up.  
"No problem." He responds.  
"Are you okay?" Hinata asks.   
"Yeah. Did you two eat? Osamu's going to make breakfast." You tilt your head, ruffling their hair.   
"Yes please." They say together before you lead them inside.  
"Tobio-chan. I didn't mention you bringing a friend." Oikawa hums.  
"I… He showed up on his own." Kageyama scoffs.  
"Don't lie! You said this place was creepy to be alone in!" Hinata objects.  
"Shut up Boke!" Kageyama snaps with a blush.   
"Aww. You were scared? That's great." Oikawa comments in amusement.  
"So mean." You huff with a small smile.  
"It's cute though isn't it?" He chuckles thoughtfully, giving you a hug. "Poor little Tobio must've been so spooked." He cooes.   
"I wasn't." Kageyama scoffs.  
"Don't pick on middle schoolers Shittykawa." Iwaizumi hits him.  
"Ow Iwa-chan…" Oikawa pouts.  
"Get off of ___.” Kiyoomi tells him.  
"No. I wanna hug ___. Everyone's so quiet and awkward now." Oikawa objects squeezing you. "It's going to be okay.." He whispers. You smile a bit touching his arms.  
"___ help me with food please." Osamu says.  
"Sure." You hum going to help him. Even as you helped him you could feel the tension in the air. "I think I'm going to head over to Nohebi after we eat."   
"___…” Osamu frowns lightly.  
"Don't worry… I just feel like I should give you guys some space." You breathe.   
"Okay… You'll come back right?" He peers at you.  
"Yeah. I'll come back." You nod.   
"Okay. Eat first." He kisses your temple. You and him finish before taking the food to the dining room. The meal's pretty quiet besides Oikawa periodically teasing the middle schoolers and getting scolded by Iwaizumi.   
After they finish eating you decide to walk the middle schoolers home with Oikawa and Iwaizumi.  
"So do you know what you'll specialize in?" Hinata peeks at you curiously.  
"Hm… Probably defense." You tilt your head. "I don't really want to attack since I might go overboard."  
"I'm going for Defense too. I'm going to join Raizu when they hold the tryouts soon." He grins.  
"Soon?" You blink in surprise.  
"There's been a shift in power, they're holding tryouts to get more people into the hero courses." Kageyama tells you. "You didn't know?"   
"No." You look back at Oikawa and Iwaizumi who also seemed surprised.  
"How much sooner?" Oikawa asks.  
"Mm I got the application." Hinata takes it out.  
"You haven't turned it in yet? Boke." Kageyama scoffs.  
"Shut up it's a lot to fill out." Hinata grumbles, handing you the paper. Oikawa and Iwaizumi look over the application with you.   
"That's weird… If Hero HQ sent this out it would be on the news right?" Iwaizumi murmurs.  
"There's no watermark on it either." Oikawa murmurs.  
"When and where did you receive these?" You ask Hinata.  
"A week ago. In the mail. Why?" He tilts his head.   
"Think it's Claw again?" Oikawa asks you.   
"Maybe. Kinda feels like the ones that sent me on that plane ride." You admit. "Hinata, we're keeping this. Kageyama, don't go to yours. If you want to try out Raizu early. Oikawa can talk to the headmaster." You tell them.  
"Eh?? Why me?" Oikawa pouts.  
"Because you're the dorm president." You and Iwaizumi remind him.   
"Tch. Fine. I'll see what I can do." Oikawa huffs unhappily.  
"Thanks Oikawa." You smile a bit. He pauses and hugs you.   
"I'll do it for you! Now go away middle schoolers! You can safely reach home now." He waves his hand at them.   
"Fine… Race you." Hinata and Kageyama share a glare before suddenly taking off.  
"So I guess we'll be checking out the location on here?" Iwaizumi takes the paper while you all turn back, Oikawa still cuddling your cheek.  
"Yeah. It has a meeting time at a rather secluded part of town." You point. "But maybe we should contact a pro about this instead. Might not just be our area." You take a picture and send it to Hibarida with a message.   
"Leaving it to the pros huh…" Iwaizumi murmurs.   
"Yeah… That's what we're supposed to do right?" You point out.  
"Yes…" He nods peering at you. "You're walking on eggshells around us." He states bluntly.  
"How could I not? I sense it. And I know you guys do too…" You frown at the ground. "I'll give you space to think about it all and go hang out with Mika like I said I would."  
"As long as you come back I don't mind." He looks ahead. "Take too long and I'll drag you back. You belong at Raizu."  
"Whoa. Iwa-chan said something good." Oikawa breathes in amazement.  
"I'm just warning ___." Iwaizumi sighs, peering at you again. "It's not like you killed innocent people right? I don't really mind it. Some of those bastards have it coming."   
"... Right." You nod rubbing your cheek.  
You reach the dorm and go up to your room, packing up a duffle bag. You go into your bathroom to grab your toothbrush and go out to find a red fox sitting in your bag looking up at you.   
"Take me with you?" The fox tilts his head, ears drooping. You blink and kneel in front of him.  
"Not this time. I'm just going to hang out with Mika and Daishou for a bit. I'll be back." You tell him softly.  
"Why?" Atsumu whines flopping against your clothes and rolling so his back faces you, sulking. "I'm not mad about it. If I had the power I probably would've done the same.."   
"We're supposed to be Heroes Atsumu." You remind him, taking him out of your bag and setting him behind you to finish packing up. He changes form and hugs you from behind.  
"I get it… But I don't want you pulling away from me." He grumbles into your shoulder. "No matter how many villains you take out. You still saved me. You still protect everyone. I get why you hid it. So I'm still here with you."   
You blink tearing up slightly as you brush your fingers through his hair. "Thanks Tsumu… I'll be back soon." You murmur. He lifts his head meeting your gaze solemnly before leaning over and kissing your cheek.   
"You're really coming back?"  
"Yeah. So be patient. And I am taking my phone." You poke his nose.   
"Okay…" He moves to pull away but then slumps against you. "Are you sure I can't come? I'll be good… Promise not to bite your boss…"   
"Atsumu…" You sigh before turning to him and cupping his face. "Please wait for me, okay?" You request. He pouts slightly but gives a nod in response.  
"Okay…" He grumbles. You hug his neck before grabbing your bag and start for the door. "Be safe ___.”   
"You too." You breathe. You step into the hallway, peering at Kiyoomi's door and going over it. You raise your hand to knock but stop yourself. "I'm going to Nohebi. I'll be back in a few days." You tell him through the door. No response. You frown lightly and start downstairs, pausing in the lobby as your phone pings. You check it to see a message from him.  
'Be safe.'   
"Okay." You murmur before heading out. You start for the train station, frowning more to yourself.  
"Wait." Kiyoomi's voice makes you look back in surprise. "Sorry… I don't know why I tried that." He says catching up.   
"Because you didn't want to see me?" You tilt your head.  
"Well not entirely…" He looks down before taking off his mask and meeting your gaze again. "I thought we trusted each other…. So why did you hide it?"  
"How could I not? I didn't want to worry you with it. It wasn't a matter of trust… I just didn't want you to think less of me or worry even more." You look down. "I stressed you enough."  
"___ I don't care about any of that. I never really did. I came here for you. Even if you decided you wanted to become a villain, I'd follow you." He sighs, rubbing his face briefly before cupping your face. "Don't underestimate how I feel about you. These other guys can try to get close to you all they want but in the end I'll make you pick me. I won't be satisfied with anything else." He speaks lowly before kissing you deeply.   
You were stunned, soon melting into the kiss and returning it, fingers brushing through his hair. You pull away, touching your lips. "I really don't deserve you." You murmur.  
"Don't care. I'm still here." He responds bluntly, making you pause and chuckle.   
"Alright. Alright, I get it." You smile. "I'll be back soon."  
"Good. Or I'll come after you." He says heading back to the dorm.  
"I'm hearing that a lot today." You comment continuing on, feeling a bit better.  
You get on the train and take it to Nohebi, messaging Daishou to let him know you were on your way.   
After a while the train stops and you step off, stretching slightly as you meet him just out of the station. He looks you over before smiling and touching your cheek softly. "Come on. Let's get you to the den." He rumbles leading the way. "Does Mika know you're in the area?"  
"Not yet." You tell him.  
"Keep it that way. I'm meeting her later so we can surprise her. A new sweets shop opened nearby so let's all go there together." He smiles.  
"That sounds so cute." You chuckle smiling a bit.  
"You didn't sneak out did you?" Daishou makes sure.   
"I told some, they'll tell the rest if they ask…" You respond looking ahead. He blinks, peering at you before his tail wraps around your arm, giving a slight squeeze as he leads you to the soon to be agency.  
You reach it, heading inside and up the stairs. "So… Before I start on it… Where would you want your room?" He asks you lightly. You pause in surprise, blinking at him before looking about.  
"Ah…. Hm. I guess across from yours." You tell him looking at the door across from his room.  
"I thought so." He nods, taking your duffle bag. "Go check it out." He tells you before taking your bag to his room. You blink and enter the room pausing briefly. It was a big room, with the start of a bay window. You touch the wood before moving to peer through the tarp but his hand comes over your eyes.  
"Ah." You huff in surprise.  
"It's not ready yet. You can't look." He chuckles teasingly.  
"You said to check it out. What? Not going to let me help with my own room?" You chuckle moving your head away. He just smiles, shaking his head in response. "Really?"   
"Trust me?" He tilts his head cutely.   
"Like I could reject that face." You grumble looking away before smiling. "Of course I trust you."   
"Good. We'll be meeting Mika in an hour. Let's start on the kitchen." He tells you heading back out with you and downstairs to the floor where the old kitchen was. "They left some of the old appliances, we'll have to move them." He hums.   
"... Um. Boss…" You remove your glove as he looks over at you.  
"Even better." He grins, "Leave the sinks, everything else needs to be replaced anyway."   
"Yes boss." You breathe starting to burst them. After the room is cleared you both start to clean it up a bit. After a little bit he breaks the silence.  
"I've killed before too." He says and you freeze in surprise, glancing at him as he continues to scrub the floor. "It was… My third date with Mika… I left her near the theater to get some snacks after the movie. When I came back she was gone. I knew something was wrong. It tracked her scent to a nearby alley way. She was struggling with them, they were tearing at her clothes like dogs ganging up on a rabbit…  
"When she spotted me she cried out for me, so one of them struck her and she fell limb." He stops scrubbing, sitting back and looking at his hands. "I saw red, before I knew it I smashed one of their heads into the wall, my tail strangled another. The third tried to fight me but I crushed his ribcage, felt his broken ribs rip through his flesh beneath my palm. The last one tried to escape but I caught him before he could leave the alley. My fangs pierced his jacket and into his skin. I remember how he died, how everything started to shut down until his heart stopped."   
You swallow carefully crawling over to him as he continues. "I took her home. When she woke I acted like I had just scared them off. She has no idea what happened after she was knocked out. It didn't bother me until I tried to sleep… So I checked the criminal records website." He turns to you, meeting your gaze with a heavy frown. "___. That wasn't the first time for any of them. They were tried for assault and rape before. The last one I killed had six charges before that. Six. Why was he even out?... Mika wasn't the first and she wouldn't have been the last. I don't regret it anymore. I haven't regretted it in a long time.  
"So when I heard what you did to Dagger, I wasn't bothered in the slightest. They were a bunch of murderers. They were going to keep murdering people until they died. Your near two hundred doesn't sound as bad as their thousands." He tells you, taking your hand. "I get it. All of it. I accept you regardless… I trust you. You're the only one I've told."  
"I trust you too. I accept you." You smile at him. He smiles back and pulls you into a hug. You bury your face into his shoulder.  
"Not much of a king now am I?" He comments.   
"You kidding me? No matter how you bloody your hands I'll follow you." You pull back, putting his knuckle to your lips. "I know you're good." He smiles lightly, dropping his hand and leaning forward to press his lips to yours in a sweet motion.   
"Good. I'm glad. Let's finish cleaning this room up and then go meet Mika."

~~~~

"___! I'm home!" Tendo chimes, walking into the dorm.   
"Not here." Iwaizumi pokes his head out of the living room.  
"Eh?" Tendo tilts his head before going into the living room. They seemed to be having a meeting. "Where's ___?”   
"Nohebi, left about an hour ago." Kuroo tells him.  
"Oh. Guess I should've checked first. Well, see ya." Tendo turns to go out.  
"I don't think I'm okay with ___ killing Dagger. I know they were bad but Hero HQ could've handled it." Bokuto murmurs. Tendo twitches and he sighs heavily before going back into the living room with a smile.  
"What was that Kotaro-kun? The Hero HQ could've handled that? How naive." He hums.  
"Excuse… me?" Bokuto blinks at him utterly lost.  
"I'll be honest with you, right now you guys are probably the purest heroes we have. Maybe Mr. Hibarida too… But the newer heroes aren't great, doing for fame and glory. That's why I like you guys. You actually want to help." Tendo puts his hands behind his head. "You know, I did my research. And Dagger has been in the same building for a long time, even a little bit before we were born.  
"That's why that town has no nearby hero agencies. Hero HQ basically gave them that land. Because they get more money from the open investigations from the murders that Dagger committed. People that want to know the truth paid them a lot to find the culprit." Tendo tilts his head as the room grows cold.  
"So they knew. But they didn't care. It's obvious right? When they were alerted of ___'s accident, they knew a seven year old was going up on one of Dagger's many hit lists. They never lifted a finger, no extra security, no moving the family. They just left it all alone." Tendo's eyes grow cold. "But they care now don't they? Their cash cow is gone…. So don't put too much faith in Hero HQ. Or any of the major agencies. They'll sooner let a child be killed for profit than save thousands of people."   
"Tendo…" Kiyoomi whispers.  
"And don't fault ___ for getting to the point. We all have a breaking point. Maybe if you had been in the same state of mind you would've taken a life or two as well. But if not… Then I would have to praise your sincere heart." Tendo's voice softens. "My best friend… Didn't take a life that was innocent in a building full of murderers that Hero HQ let remain…. If you don't believe me then look into it more. But I guarantee it'll make you question the ones passing out orders." He stalks out at that, leaving them all in shock.  
Halfway to the city, Rakurai joins him. "You look mad." He peeks at Tendo's face. "Are we going to kill someone?" He lights up slightly.  
"Actually Rakurai, I have a better idea." Tendo stops looking at the agency that outlined the horizon.  
"Oh yeah? What?"   
"Let's start a war."


	63. Declaration

"Oh. I see her!" You whisper to Daishou as you reach the meetup spot. Mika pauses, looking over before lighting up.   
"___!!!” She cries out, crashing into you so hard you fall back but Daishou swiftly catches you with an amused chuckle.   
"Easy Mika." He breathes lightly as she covers your cheek with kisses.   
"Sorry! Got excited." She giggles pulling away so you can regain your balance.  
"Sh-She's trying to kill me again." You whisper covering your blushing face.   
"Hm? You seem fine to me." Daishou hums in amusement.  
"Your tail sure has been expressive lately." Mika snickers at him, making him blush and hide his tail again.   
"Gah… It keeps coming out on it's own." He grumbles.  
"Aww how cute." Mika teases, eyes glimmering with mischief.  
'Ah… That feels familiar…' You and Daishou think.   
"Ahem… Anyway, let's get going." Daishou rumbles, taking the lead as Mika hugs your arm.  
"How long are you staying?" She asks.  
"I'm going to be here a day or two… Everything with the enemy has been cleared up." You tell her, phasing out briefly. She blinks watching your eyes become distant.   
"Something bad happened huh? That's why you came over here." She guesses softly.  
"Kinda. I did promise you… And I feel normal here." You look at Daishou's back. She hums, fingers lacing with yours.   
"Stay as long as you want. We could even have a sleepover." She smiles up at you.   
"Ah… Sure that sounds fun actually." You grin. "Never slept over at a girl's house before…"   
"Oh? Well now I can't wait." She giggles excitedly before pausing as a pink glow catches both of your attention. "Oh…"   
"Whoa. It's like a candy dream." You whisper as Daishou slows his pace, reaching the sweets shop.   
"Oh cool, looks like we sit and order something on one side and browse the aisles on the other." Daishou smiles.  
"We're going in right?" Mika bounces excitedly.   
"Mhm. This way." Daishou guides you both in, his tail wrapping around both of yours and Mika's wrists since they were clasped together. You browse through the little aisles, peering at the displays and picking out somethings along the way and paying for them.   
"What a cute little shop. Did you see the bunny cakes?" Mika comments as you all sit together.  
"They were too cute... How can someone eat those?" You murmur, then look at Daishou as he pauses, about to eat one.  
"What? I want to see what they taste like." He huffs taking a bite and looking away.   
"Hopes and dreams probably." You pout.   
"Monster." Mika shakes her head.  
"Strawberries! They taste like strawberries and cream." Daishou says in his defense. That did sound good. Daishou catches you licking your lips and smirks, tail wrapping around your leg and pulling you and your seat closer.  
"Take a bite of the bunny." He breathes, putting it to your lips.   
"That's so mean." Mika gasps as you hesitate.  
"Come on. I promise it tastes good." Daishou purrs, tail tightening around your leg slightly. What a sadist…  
You hesitantly take a bite and hum. "Damn… It does taste good." You sigh as he releases your leg seeming satisfied.   
"How about you Mika? Want to eat the bunny?" He hums.   
"No way. It's too cute." She shakes her head covering her mouth.  
"Fine. More for us." Daishou sends you a smile.  
"Just had to pull me down too huh?" You deadpan.   
"Yep. We're partners." He smiles, tail swishing behind him in amusement.  
"Here ___, try this snake gummy." Mika hums mischievously. Daishou pauses blinking as you take a bite out of it.  
"Mm." You lick your lips.  
"Now who are the monsters?" Daishou scoffs.  
"You made me do this." You point at him.  
"No I didn't. She already bought them, she planned it." He defends looking at Mika pointedly. She just snickers biting into another gummy.  
"Devil." Daishou frowns. "I can feel that in my scales you know."   
"Yummy." She giggles making you both smile a bit  
"Don't eat it all… Let's sneak this stuff into the theater and watch a movie." Daishou tells you both.  
"Alright." You smile.   
"Yes!!" Mika bounces up. "There's that new horror movie I've been wanting to see!"  
"Horror…" You and Daishou echo in surprise.  
"Yeah. I don't just like cute things you know?" She giggles. That mischievous glint was back in her eye, making you and Daishou share a glance.   
"Alright. Let's go. I wanna see your scared face now." You smile, making her blush lightly.  
"I wouldn't mind seeing yours." She murmurs. You blush now and Daishou puts a hand over his face.  
"I saw it coming, but you're both still too cute sometimes…" He says getting up. "Let's go then." He gives a soft smile.   
"Right."   
You pack up and all head out again, Daishou taking the lead for the grand theater. You went to some with Tendo before, but not to the Nohebi theater. This one was big, luxurious even. You enter with the pair, finding the inside just as nice.   
'I gotta bring Tendo here.' You think in awe. Daishou's tail wraps around your arm, pulling you along and making you blink back as Mika peeks back at you.   
"You're so awestruck." She comments.  
"I've never been to one this nice before!" You blush lightly.   
"We can tell. No worries. It's cute." Daishou chuckles. He pays for the tickets before leading the way to one of the viewing rooms and going in.  
"Not many people are here yet. Go pick where you want to sit." Daishou tells her. Mika hums peering about, before grabbing your hand and going to where she wants to sit she makes you sit, then has Daishou take the seat to the right of you, and Mika sits on your left.   
"Feel free to cuddle up if you get scared." She snickers.  
"... Didn't we give you what you wanted?" You ask her.  
"You did. But then time got reversed so it doesn't count now." She smiles.  
"How stubborn." Daishou chuckles.   
"Plus I need some inspiration for more paintings." She beams.   
"So we're muses…" Daishou comments.   
"Seems so." You smile.  
"Movie's starting." Mika leans on you happily.  
It was a suspense thriller, making you steadily shrink back in your seat. Mika holds onto your arm, eyes sparkling as she watches the screen uneasily. You glance at Daishou, his face hidden by his hand as he leans on the armrest between you trying to seem casual.   
'Oh? Is he scared?' Curiosity makes you peek past his hand, eyes locking with his instantly. He lowers his hand, not looking away from your eyes. He leans in toward you, making you pause. He smirks and flicks his forked tongue, causing you to deadpan and blush. He snickers quietly and sits back, taking your hand as he watches the movie again.   
You sit back, smiling slightly, pausing as Mika giggles quietly, peering at you. You blush lightly and put a kiss on the back of her hand in response. She smiles and snuggles up to you all of you tensing when a scream rips through the theater from the movie.  
"Hehehe! Your faces were so cute from that scream!" Mika teases you and Daishou as you leave the theater.   
"I thought my heart was gonna pop." You puff your cheeks.  
"I thought a villain got in…" Daishou puts a hand over his face.  
"Such heroic instincts." You laugh while Mika giggles at that.   
"Hehe that's Daishou for you. Always ready to jump into action." Mika muses.  
"Right? That's why he's so awesome. If I get into some sort of trouble he's instantly there to have my back." You grin.   
"Yeah then when he gets serious he gets all intimidating and scaly!" Mika bounces.  
"Right! And his eyes kinda glow and you just can't look away!" You beam. You both pause and look back to find Daishou had stopped to cover his face.  
"Aww… Guess he got embarrassed that we started fangirling over him." Mika giggles.  
"Yeah we should really save that for our sleepover." You joke as you both approach him. He drops his hands, frowning with a blush.  
"Always ganging up on me." He grumbles.   
"Right." Mika hums mischievously.  
"Left." You respond, both of you kissing his cheeks, making him turn completely red.   
"Right again." Mika snickers.  
"Left again." You smirk. But this time Mika turns his head into your kiss, making your lips meet his. You and Daishou freeze as she giggles like a goblin backing up after taking a picture.   
"Yesss!!!” She cackles.   
"Unbelievable… Using our thing to make us kiss." You shake your head in amazement, blushing heavily.   
"Mhm." Daishou puts a hand over his mouth still blushing. "We gotta get her back for this."   
"Nope. Because that's my building there and I'm going home!" Mika laughs running away.  
"So fast." You blink in surprise. You and Daishou awkwardly glance at each other. "Sorry. I didn't know she was going to do that." You rub your neck. He drops his hand and chuckles.   
"It's nothing that hasn't happened already." He responds, taking your hand and leading you back for Snake Den. "Did you have fun?"  
"Of course. The time I spend with you two is always so much fun." You chuckle leaning on him. He smiles more at that, peering down thoughtfully.   
"You know… If things stay weird for you at Raizu you're always welcome to Nohebi." He says lightly, bringing your knuckle to his lips as he meets your gaze. "I'll take care of you." He breathes. Before you can respond your phone starts to go off. You look at it to find Bokuto trying to video call you. Daishou peers at it too. "Think they heard me?" He huffs. "Go ahead and answer it."  
"Hello Bokuto." You answer finding him pouting slightly.  
"I'm sorry ____. I should've never doubted you." He frowns lightly.   
"We're sorry." Kuroo peeks in too, along with a few others that haven't said a word to you since everything.  
"Ah… That's okay guys. Don't look so sad." You frown.   
"You're coming back right? I miss you so much." Bokuto pouts more.  
"Same. Tobi misses you too." Kenma holds up the kitten.  
"You have to come back for your cat right?" Kuroo breathes.  
"When did you get a cat?" Daishou peers at the screen.   
"Like… Two days ago I think?" You murmur.  
"Alright. We can do a pet room." He nods.  
"Oi, Daishou, thanks for taking care of my kohai. I hope you're not trying to sway ___ to come to your school or anything." Kuroo rumbles, making you both pause.  
"They hesitated! He totally was!" Bokuto gasps. "Listen ___! You're ours! You belong to Raizu! Don't leave!... Please?"   
"I…" You felt unsure.  
"Of course ____ isn't leaving, you noisy owl." Daishou says bluntly, surprising you. He gives your hand a slight squeeze. "But make no mistake, the second you outcast ___ again I'll snatch them up and keep ___ all to myself." He smirks, baring his fangs to solidify his decree.   
"Snake!"  
"Fiend!"  
They start to voice their objections at that, making him chuckle before leaning over and kissing your cheek. This causes any uproar and now the rest of the dorm is getting on camera as you blush heavily.  
"What? What's going on? Hey ___!” Oikawa waves happily. "I miss you! Are you having fun!?"  
"Hey Oikawa. I'm alright." You chuckle.  
"What are you guys up to?" Iwaizumi inquires.  
"Wouldn't you like to know." Daishou smirks again.  
"Stop provoking them." You whisper with a chuckle.  
"Kuroo started it." He huffs.   
"What did I do???" Kuroo objects unhappily.  
"You know." Daishou responds. "Anyway we're almost back so say bye ___.”   
"Bye guys." You wave.  
"Bye. Come home soon." They say before hanging up.   
"... That timing was uncanny…" He grumbles.   
"It was… but you gave the answer for me." You murmur peering at him. He meets your gaze, and smiles.  
"What's a few years? We'll be partners even if you don't come to Nohebi. I was just speaking selfishly there," He admits, and looks up at Snake Den. "I just feel so motivated when you're here."  
"Daishou it's late. Let's work on the next project tomorrow." You nudge him.  
"I know…. You caught me right when I thought that." He chuckles leading the way in. "I've made it so this place is more secure now. Once I power up the generator you'll be able to take a shower without worrying about anything else." His tongue flicks out as he peers about before latching the door shut.   
"Nice. Not that I was worried though. I have a protective boss after all." You hum following him to the generator as he gets it started, the lights coming on.   
"Damn straight. But this is way less… Awkward, so don't forget anything alright." He points at you.  
"Yes boss." You chuckle.   
After you shower and get dressed you head back up and go into his room, which now had a television and dresser. He looks over from the television.   
"Look at this shit. Midnight just struck one of the HQ branch agencies over near Raizu." He points at the television. You blink swiftly joining him as the reporters show the flaming building, Midnight appearing on top of it with an HQ flag. Standing for a few moments before raising an arm to the flag, a barrel of a gun sticking out of his arm brace and spewing flames onto the flag.  
'Tendo? What are you doing?' You pale slightly in wonder. Damn he looked cool right now.   
"That's a very clear declaration of war… He's calling out HQ… Wonder what they did to piss him off." Daishou breathes with an uneasy smile.   
"Yeah. Me too." You murmur, leaning forward, fingers hiding the wary frown on your lips. The television glitches and the agency is suddenly normal again with no sign of Midnight.   
"What the fuck…" Daishou gasps as his television shuts off. He turns it back on the reporters seeming very confused as to what just happened.   
"He reset time…. But we weren't affected." You whisper in surprise.  
"You fought him before, right? Can't he just reset things he wants to?" He points out.   
"That's true. Resetting that whole area probably messed up the electronics." You nod. "He's really amazing… But that was clearly a warning to HQ… I got a bad feeling now." You frown.   
"I think everyone does… Still, for a villain he is pretty cool." Daishou tilts his head.   
"Yeah… I didn't want to say it out loud though." You breathe. He shuts off the television and turns to you.   
"Let's not worry about that now. It's time for bed and you have enough on your plate." He pokes your nose.   
"Right. Let's go to sleep." You nod. You crawl in and move under the covers.   
"I'll be back after my shower." He says before heading out. You frown once he's gone, messaging Death briefly before curling up to try to sleep, only being successful when Daishou returns after his shower, getting into bed and pulling you close to him. 

°~°~°~°~°

"___ saw it. Wants to know what's up." Death tells Tendo as he cleans off his face.   
"I feel like monologuing my response. You can summarize it after I'm done." Tendo straightens, drying off his face.  
"Oh! Boss monologue!" Rakurai chuckles excitedly. Tendo sends them a smile, cocking his head for them to follow him to the rooftop.   
"Since ___ desires to be a hero so much I'll try to support it. However, right now there are too many above them that will just use ___'s quirk for their own gain. And no one is allowed to use my dearest friend. So what I need to do is simple." Tendo reaches the rooftop, going over and hopping onto the ledge to watch the fires in the distance, his eyes reflecting the glow. He spreads his arms out with a smile. "It's time for a complete reform." He chuckles. "So let those HQ agencies burn to the ground! Hear my howl you greedy bastards!"  
"The news teams are getting their minds back." Rakurai says looking over the ledge.  
"Let's reset them again and leave. This way it'll show how useless those agencies are. Being taken out without the rest noticing." Tendo breathes.  
"They all rely on the news too much if they can't notice the fires outside." Death hums as they start down again, resetting the news building.


	64. Presents

"___.” Daishou pats your leg. "We were wrong. Wake up."   
"We were wrong about what…" You yawn rubbing your eye before blinking at the television, several buildings in flames showed on the screen.  
"Apparently Midnight held the news building hostage after several of the HQ branch agencies got blown up. The video we saw was of the first one, and they had brought it in to have it played whenever they reset the building…. So everyone that wasn't in the areas around the agencies had no idea what was happening." He breathes.  
"Not even we knew. So these videos are from people's cell phones?" You murmur.  
"Yeah… Apparently the other agencies were called too late. Everyone in those buildings got wiped out from the explosions except for the first one, Midnight and his gang physically attacked them." Daishou answers.  
"Holy shit Midnight. What are you doing now?" You sigh rubbing your eyes.  
"You two are kinda friends right?" Daishou tilts his head.  
"Kinda…" You answer. "But I literally don't have an…" You pause and check your phone finding a message from Death. "They want a total reform of Hero HQ." You show him the message.  
"A reform… So he's not looking to destroy them, but to change them… But if they don't abide, that'll probably mean war…" Daishou folds his arms, tilting his head in thought. "It's possible things are going to become tense now. HQ will probably make an effort to go after him."   
"Yeah…" You agree, frowning at your phone. Midnight never made much sense to you to begin with, but now that you knew his identity, you felt even more lost. "I really don't know him. Or his goal…"   
Daishou watches you quietly before reaching over and cupping your cheek. "You don't need to know him to know where you stand in all this. All you can do is…"  
"What I can." You finish with a nod. "And what I can do is, go on my date with Mika." You smile as you get a message from her.  
"... No fair." He huffs lightly.  
"Sure it is. You always get alone time with Mika." You smirk getting out of bed.   
"But not with you." He murmurs and you pause looking back at him in mild horror.  
"We… haven't been alone this whole time…?" You whisper. He pauses and chuckles covering his face.  
"I meant for a date ___." He says. You pause and blush at that.  
"Oh. Th-That…" How do you respond to that? He peers at you, reaching over and taking your hand.  
"It wasn't a question yet. But if it were, would you be interested?" He asks lightly.  
"M-mhm." You nod slightly.   
"Good. Go have fun. Maybe I'll be able to finish your room today while you're away." He smiles with a head tilt.   
"Alright," You nod with a smile as he goes out before changing clothes and stepping into the hall. "See you later." You tell him.   
"... Message me when you're on your way back." He requests.   
"Sure." You hum before leaving for the meet up spot. You arrive there and wait patiently, glancing around for her. Hands come over your eyes and you pause.   
"Guess who?" Mika whispers.  
"Hmm… A kitten? No… These aren't paws… they're soft and small… an angel? No… I didn't die… Could be Mika… Maybe." You hum tapping your chin. She giggles and you turn to her suddenly, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Aha. So it was all of the above." You grin as she hides her face giggling shyly. "Hello angel kitten Mika."   
"You… Dork." She breathes shyly. "Ready to go get breakfast?"   
"Yes. I'm starving… And should probably tell Daishou to eat before he starts his project." You swiftly message him.  
"The agency right?" She hums and you pause, glancing at her. "He mentioned getting started on it. But he won't let me see." She puffs her cheeks slightly as she leads the way.  
"He doesn't want you to see it right now, he thinks it looks bad. But it's improved a lot since I was last there. He's doing a great job." You smile lightly.   
"... Ugh… I want to see it!" She bursts. "He's so stubborn! I won't be disappointed! I want to see him progress… It would be so cool to see it transform." She pouts.  
"He's always taking pictures of it, I'm sure he'll show them once he's ready." You hug her into your side.   
"Alright…" She leans her head on you. "So what does he need for it? Should we get him stuff for the agency instead of gifts?"   
"We could do both." You offer. "If we're going to get him something for the agency… Let's get him a fridge for drinks and food in case he forgets to go get food he'll have some there."   
"Good idea! We should go find one of those first, to make sure we have enough money." She chimes.   
"Well… I have this card that Tendo gave me last year. He said I could buy anything with it. But I haven't used it… I don't even know the balance on it." You frown. Actually, you were kind of afraid to check it now. This is a villain's credit card after all.   
"Wow. He really takes care of you huh?" Mika tilts her head thoughtfully.  
"Heh... Yeah…" You smile softly. "That's my best friend, always doing too much for me."   
"That's sweet." She hums softly. "You sure he won't mind if you buy a fridge with it?"  
"He'd probably say, 'Finally! Took you a year to buy something!' Or something like that." You chuckle lightly. "When's Daishou's birthday? Where are we going to put a fridge until then?"   
"... It's tomorrow." She breathes. You trip at that, quickly adjusting your footing. "Sorry. I didn't want to rush you. And I knew you would handle things with the enemy fast." She frowns softly.   
"Cake? Party?" You look at her worriedly.   
"Hehehe, don't worry. I have that part covered." She gives a thumbs up. "I already sent out invitations too."   
"You're amazing Mika." You gasp.  
"So don't worry about that. Let's get him his presents." She beams.   
"Alright." You nod and let her guide you into a cafe to have breakfast before heading to an appliance store to browse the fridges.   
"How big should it be?" She murmurs.  
"For now, big enough for him and whoever comes to help with the agency. How about this one?" You point.  
"Hmm… I'm kinda feeling the one with the ice machine though." She points, "Does the agency have water yet?"  
"Mhm." You nod, "That would be better for him." You comment. A sales person comes over to greet you both to help. You hand him the card after you and Mika make a final decision. "Alright. Now we can spend our money on something cute for him."   
"Yes! I was thinking about a new jacket for him." Mika tells you excitedly.  
"Hmm… Something for Daishou…" You think to yourself. "Right now it does get cold in that room of his, and winter is getting close… Maybe a heated blanket would be good…?"  
"Awe that's really sweet. He does get cold easily." She nods thoughtfully.  
"Yeah…. Should I get him something else?" You tilt your head.  
"I think that'll be good. But if we find anything else along the way let's grab it." She smiles as the salesman returns with the card.  
"Okay we'll box it up and have it ready for pickup tomorrow." He rumbles. Something about his voice makes you pause. He meets your gaze and gives a nod.  
"Thanks so much." You give a bow to him.   
"No problem. I'm glad you found what you were looking for." He says lightly. "Take care." He adds as you and Mika head out.   
"Did you know that man?" Mika asks you.  
"I met him before, while I was looking for Tendo." You breathe.  
"Oh. Small world." Mika hums looking down. "Why were you looking for Tendo?" She asks, confused.  
"He went MIA after we ran into bad guys." You admit. "I was such a wreck then… But he's back now so I'm okay."   
"That's good. I'm sorry you had to go through that." She takes your hand, playing with your fingers. She peeks at your face and you smile softly, pulling her closer and cuddling her cheek with yours making her blush and giggle softly, kissing your cheek in response. "Come on let's get the coat first." She hums pulling you into a store. You both browse the aisles before she finds a nice coat for him. You find a pair of boots to match too. Then you pause spotting a crown sitting with the hats like it had been put there as a joke.  
"Oh ho… He's going to like this." You smirk, grabbing it as well.   
"A crown?" Mika raises an eyebrow.  
"An inside joke." You respond, twirling it around your finger.   
"Hehe I wanna know now." She hums.   
"I um… May have made the comparison when we met the prince. Daishou is a bit of a king." You murmur looking to the side.  
"Awww that's so cute! You have to get that! And now I have inspiration for a new painting!" She cheers happily as you follow her to pay with a chuckle.  
You continue browsing shops with her for a good part of the day. Eventually she takes you to her place to wrap everything up, except for the crown. "We may have gone a little overboard with shopping…" You murmur looking at the numerous gifts.  
"Yeah… but he's bound to like at least half of these." Mika nods.  
"Nah. I think he's going to like all of them. Especially that cool viper hoodie we found." You grin.  
"You got the hoodie too. Just a different color." She teases.  
"It was really cool though! Look! I'ma snake!" You throw on the hood and stick out your tongue.  
"So cute." She laughs in amusement. "He's going to think so too."   
"Heh…" You smile and check the time. "I should get back. It's getting late." You hum getting up.   
"Yeah… Be careful on your way back." Mika gets up, putting a hand on your chest and kissing you softly. "And sleep well." She smiles as you blush heavily.  
"Y-Yeah. You too." You manage, kissing her cheek before heading out.   
You smile as you head back to Snake Den. The past two days have been nice, besides Tendo worrying you. 'Maybe I should call him.' You move to pull out your phone and a hand slides into yours making you tense.  
"___, I'm home." Tendo smiles in amusement when you look at him.  
"I was about to call you! Why are you here giving me a heart attack right now!?" You gasp.  
"I missed you, so I came to Nohebi to see you." He hums. "I went to the dorm to see you but you had already left… And I kind of… Went off on them."   
"You did?" You blink in surprise at him.   
"Yeah…" He nods rubbing his cheek.   
"That's probably why they suddenly called then…" You hum hugging his side. "I missed you though, how have you been? What have you-"  
"I'm not here to talk about me." He grumbles hugging you back. "Besides, you went to see the prince, right? Tell me about that. I know you said everything in text but you always give more detail when you talk." He says into your shoulder, both of you stopping near a park.   
"... Only if you promise to answer my questions afterwards." You respond.  
"... Fine." He nods.   
So you relay everything to him again. This time giving some extra thoughts on Midnight to make him squirm a bit. "But Midnight was so cool, Tendo. We really fight well together, you know?"  
"Heh… You're really crushing on that villain now huh?" He chuckles with a head tilt.  
"Maybe. He's really hot. Must be something special under that suit." You hum nonchalantly, wanting to smirk when he brings a hand over his mouth.  
"___… Are you undressing him with your mind?" He asks carefully.  
"Hmm. Think I should leave this conversation now." You turn away and he quickly hugs.  
"Wait! It was getting good!" He protests.   
"Don't you have some questions to answer?" You raise an eyebrow.  
"Ugh… I've been good. Been doing a lot of errands lately all over the place." He tells you quickly.   
"That's it huh?" You raise an eyebrow.  
"Yeah. And I've been catching up on school stuff but that's all boring…" He sighs.   
'What a smooth liar. No wonder I never connected the dots.' You think peering at him. "Okay then…"  
"So-" He pauses, looking over as someone starts to play a violin in the park. "... Want to dance with me for a bit?" He requests smiling.   
"Uh. Sure. Let's dance." You relax with a smile letting him guide you over before pulling you in as you fall into the rhythm together.   
"I was a bit jealous when you talked about the dancing part. We haven't done this in a while." He admits thoughtfully, holding you close. "Still feels nice." He breathes.  
"Hey Tendo? I want to take you on that date in three days okay. So don't do anything else." You tell him.  
"Three days… How specific." He shakes his head in amazement. "Mm alright. Three days. I can do that." He nods with a smile. "I'm curious now."   
"No future sight." You poke his nose. But his response was hesitant, he was probably going to do another attack then.  
"Oh no of course not. It won't work with you anyway." He shakes his head, smiling excitedly.   
"Alright good." You smile and eventually you both come to a stop.   
"Thank you very much. You're an amazing musician." Tendo praises the violinist, giving him some money before quickly leading you off just as the man starts to yell happily.  
"Tendo… How much did you give him?" You ask him.  
"Does it matter? He's happy." He says looking ahead.  
"Okay… Oh. I used that card today, for a fridge." You tell him. He blinks a few times before chuckling.  
"I thought you lost that forever ago!" He laughs. "Why a fridge? That's random."  
"It's Daishou's birthday tomorrow, and we wanted to get him something for the agency he's working on." You tell him.   
"That's so sweet." He kisses your cheek, pulling you into his side. "You're really becoming a hero huh?" He murmurs lightly.  
"... Yeah. I know I've done some bad things but… I really want to work with Daishou." You nod.   
"Just because you did what had to be done. Doesn't make you bad." He tips your chin. "No matter what you choose. I will always love you." He kisses you lovingly. You kiss him back, you knew it was the truth, but you still felt guilty.  
"I love you too. I should get back though. Thanks for coming to see me." You smile.   
"You don't need to thank me. It's what I wanted…" He hums. He didn't seem to want to let you go though, keeping you close still. You peek at him, meeting his soft gaze. "I wish I could keep you here at my side. Until the world unravels. Would you still be happy then?"   
"Maybe. But if the world unravels wouldn't that be my fault?" You tilt your head.  
"Maybe. But I would still want you here to hold until the end." He smiles, holding you close. "This is where I'm happiest after all." He kisses your cheek and then neck, arms tightening around you. "I don't want to let you go… But it's what you want so I will." He gives your cheek another kiss before stepping back. "I'll see you soon okay? Have sweet dreams." He smiles tilting his head cutely.  
"Okay. You too Tendo." You give him another hug before heading off.  
He watches you go smiling softly to himself before checking the time on his phone as someone approaches him from the darkness of an alleyway. "Hello Stone. It's a pleasure to meet you."  
"So you're the one Midnight sent? And I see you're friends with Little Destroyer." Stone greets, glancing the way you had disappeared.  
"Best friends actually." Tendo puts away his phone before clapping his hands together. "So. I'm here to recruit your gang for a war. Interested?" 

You reach Snake Den after grabbing some food from a nearby shop and head inside, latching the door behind you. "I'm back!" You call.   
"I'm on the stairs!" He responds higher up. You smile and go up, soon finding him sitting at the top. "Good timing. I ran out of tiles for the hall." He glances back.   
"It looks good." You comment, handing him the take out food you had gotten for both of you, sitting with him.  
"Thanks… And good because I did not enjoy any of that." He grumbles, separating the food to share before starting to eat.  
"Then how about resin flooring?" You hum, tilting your head as you also start to eat. He pauses, blinking at you.  
"I love that idea. I could probably make this staircase look like a waterfall if I did that." He looks down the steps with a small excited smile. "I wonder how much that would cost… I'll have to look into it."   
"That would be so cool, boss." You breathe excitedly. He nods, tail coming out to swish behind him. It soon brushes against your back before wrapping around you and pulling you closer. You pause and he just leans on you as he finishes eating.   
"So how was your date with Mika?" He asks.  
"Fun. We did a lot of shopping." You hum. He blinks peers at the single bag you had. "What? I wasn't just buying for me. I got you and me something." You smile taking out the crown to put on his head. He pauses in surprise before laughing lightly in amusement, his tail swishing again as he hides his face against your arm.   
"Dork…" He murmurs, chuckling a bit still.  
"You know you like it, your majesty." You nudge him in response.   
"I do but you really shouldn't encourage it." He chuckles putting a hand over his face as he sits up again. "Okay, show me what you got you."  
"Okay. Ready?" You turn to him before flipping your hood up and sticking out your tongue. You couldn't see his face behind the hood, but if you had you would've seen the big smile on his face and the warmth in his eyes as he looked at you.  
"You got the wrong tongue for it. But that's very cute." He rumbles in amusement, reaching over and using his index finger to lift the hood and peer at you in amusement.   
"I thought so too." You grin happily. He smiles thoughtfully, pushing the hood back and letting his fingers graze your cheek.   
"Your room is done now." He informs.  
"Eh? Really? Can I?" You point at the door, moving to get up. He nods and gets up to, tail wrapping around your arm to stop you.  
"Wait. I'm suddenly nervous." He murmurs putting a hand over his face.  
"Aww boss…" You tease him.  
"Shut it." He grumbles before following you into the room. It was empty still, but it looked great, the bay window was complete, looking out over the buildings at the ocean beyond it. You stop, taking it all in. He peeks at your face curiously, smiling a bit as you start to grin.  
"I love it…" You tell him.  
"Still need some furniture, but it's ready now." He rumbles hands on his hips as his tail swishes with satisfaction. He gives a smile as you look at him. You smile and kiss his cheek, making him pause with a blush.   
"Thanks Suguru, it looks great." You breathe making the blush spread all over his face.  
"N-No problem. I wouldn't be a good snake… king… Boss?" He turns his face away. "What am I saying…" He wonders quietly before shaking his head and turning to you, clearing his throat. "I mean. I wouldn't be a good boss if I couldn't do this much." He manages.  
"Pfft… You got all tongue tied." You chuckle.  
"Th-That's your fault for surprising me like that." He scoffs, blushing more. He sighs covering his face. "Why are you like this?" He grumbles. You step closer, chuckling and drawing on the backs of his hands.   
"You wanted to keep me around." You point out. He peers at you from behind his fingers before dropping his hands, taking your hands as he does, pressing into you slightly. You pause starting to blush as his tail trails over your back.  
"Yeah of course. You're my partner, whether it be in justice or crime. I got your back." He smiles thoughtfully, nose brushing yours. "I have a request to make ___. Just for tonight." He rumbles.  
"What's that?" You ask carefully.  
"Drink with me!" He beams, hugging you as his tail swishes about. "You know it's my birthday tomorrow! So drink with me!"  
"But we're underage…" You whisper.  
"If we're old enough to put our lives on the line then we're old enough to drink." He reasons. "Don't worry, we'll water it down with something else."  
"Aren't you supposed to drink on your birthday night though?" You point out.  
"I got this sneaking suspicion that you'll be taken away from me tomorrow." He grumbles against your cheek making you chuckle from the ticklish sensation.  
"Ah… Fine, you're so bad." You breathe as he pulls back with a smile.  
"Yes. Let's be bad together."


	65. Happy Birthday Daishou

Your eyes ease open to find Daishou still fast asleep, curled up close to you, his tail wrapped around your waist and legs. He hugs your left hand to his bare chest, seeming so at peace in this moment. Wait… Where's his shirt? You blush lightly, checking around. Your head felt fuzzy, but you locate his shirt on the other side of him, he wasn't missing any other clothes thank god.  
You glance at the time and relax, it was still too early to wake up. He shifts with a hum, drawing your attention as his eyes open slightly, blinking a few times.   
"Good morning." You greet.  
"Morning…" He yawns, fangs poking out briefly before his head hits the pillow again. "Are you sore too? Why did we dance so much last night?"  
"No idea… There wasn't any music either. And your jokes were awful too." You tease.  
"But you still laughed so I win." He sticks out his snake tongue. You both pause and look away with blushes.   
"That damn tongue." You huff.  
"Sorry." He covers his mouth.  
"Anyway." You sit up and loom over him making him tense slightly. "Happy birthday Daishou!" You gush cuddling him. He chuckles and hugs you back, sitting up.   
"Thanks." He rumbles.  
"Breakfast. What do you want?" You ask him.  
"Hmm French toast. There's a nice place for that nearby." He tells you.  
"Let's get ready then." You smile patting his chest. You both pause and look down at his chest. You blush and move away at that. "Forgot you didn't have a shirt…"   
"Where did it… Oh." He picks it up. "Why did I take my shirt off?"  
"I don't know. Maybe you got overheated? You had it on when we fell asleep." You tell him. He pauses blinking and humming as he tries to remember, a blush soon coming to his cheeks.   
"Oh well." He coughs and grabs some clothes. "Shower time." He quickly heads out. You smile and message Mika.   
"Okay, let's get today started." You breathe before grabbing clothes and heading down to the other shower room and taking a shower. After you shower and dress, you meet up with Daishou in the hall.  
"You know, the first thing I want to get after I furnish your room… Is a fridge. I need a fridge." He nods as his stomach growls.   
"Yeah sounds like it." You chuckle thoughtfully.  
"I should look into that soon…" He murmurs as you both head out.  
"Then a mini stove top so you can make food." You smile a bit. He was going to love your present at least.   
You both stop at a nearby diner to eat, you get a message from Mika to keep him busy until noon before meeting at the park. Daishou tilts his head slightly as he watches you. "So. What's the plan?"  
"Keep you to myself until noon." You respond, meeting his gaze. He pauses and looks away with a small blush at that.   
"Why did you word it like that…" He grumbles lightly.   
"I'm not sure what else to do besides that." You shrug.   
"Noon huh… We could-"  
"No working on the agency today." You point at him and he scowls.  
"Fine… Then I'm at a loss too." He grumbles.   
"Three hours…" You check your phone and smile. "How about we go to the paintball field?"  
"Hell yeah." He lights up. You chuckle and the food is brought over.   
After you eat you both head out to the paintball field just outside of the city. There weren't a lot of people here yet, so you both decided to go on separate teams. Assigned to the red team you hurry to the red base to wait for the match to begin. You pause seeing two familiar faces.   
"Eh? Kuguri? Tera?" You manage in surprise.  
"___! Long time no see!" Tera greets with a grin. Kuguri shifts, giving a small nod in greeting.  
"Another friend of yours Kuguri?" A blond guy next to Kuguri leans toward you. "I'm Numai, nice to meet you."  
"Nice to meet you too. It's amazing you guys are here, I came here with Daishou and he's on the other team." You comment.  
"Really? Awesome, this is going to be fun." Tera grins. "Are you two on a date or something?"  
"Maybe? I'm mainly distracting him before his birthday party." You tell them.   
"It's his birthday huh? We'll make this fun then." Numai nods. "What's he look like?" He asks. You show them a picture from yesterday. "Got it."   
"Oh. Look, Tsukki, ___'s here. Kuguri and Tera too." A familiar voice comments making you all look back at Yamaguchi and Tsukishima.   
"Wow… This is becoming an interesting line up." Tera blinks in surprise.  
"How exciting." You grin. "Let's all work together one more time to take out the enemy."   
"Heh I'm fired up. Let's do it." Tera rumbles readying his gun.   
"This is exciting." Yamaguchi smiles lightly.   
"Together." Kuguri nods.   
The chime sounds and the doors open to release the teams into the mock battle field. "Daishou can sense your footfalls so step lightly when you can." You tell them briskly.  
"Right." They say together before everyone fans out. You had no idea about the other opponents but this was pretty exciting.   
You stop at a wall leaning against it and peeking around the corner carefully before moving to the next wall. Everything was so quiet, then Yamaguchi tripped from his hiding place and suddenly four different members of the blue team appear to take aim. Tsukishima swiftly steps in to shield him, taking out two of the enemy players as he's blasted with paintballs.   
"Tsukki!" Yamaguchi gasps as you and Tera take out the other two.   
"Hurry up and get back to cover!" Tsukishima responds taking a knee while Tera quickly helps Yamaguchi up and back to cover. You frown lightly at that. But half of their team was down now.   
'Don't forget who you're up against.' You remind yourself, carefully carrying on, staying low. 'These guys sure are calm… No one else is peeking out…' The sound of paintball guns going off nearby catches your attention but before you can move to check it out you sense him behind you, swiftly turning and aiming your gun, pausing as you find the barrel of his already trained on you.   
"Your movements weren't bad. I didn't sense you." He chuckles with a smile. "But I was tracking you." His tongue flickers out.   
"That's sneaky." You smirk a bit.   
"You really should've seen it coming." He shrugs. "Ah well. Maybe next time," He hums, shooting you. He stiffens slightly at the same time and slowly takes a knee with you, glancing back.  
"Sorry ___, I didn't make it in time." Yamaguchi frowns, standing behind him.  
"Tch." Daishou huffs while you chuckle.  
"It's fine. Good job Yamaguchi, now go help with the rest." You tell him. He nods and quickly carries on. "So… Best two out of three?" You smirk at Daishou.  
"Alright. Loser owes ice cream." Daishou smiles back.   
"Any interesting people on your team?" You inquire.  
"I have Hiro and Konoha actually. What about you?" He blinks.  
"Kuguri, Tera, Tsukishima, and as you saw Yamaguchi." You grin. "Weird right?"  
"You didn't plan it?"  
"No, I was really surprised actually."   
"Oh… Huh, it is weird then." He nods and you both look over as Hiro rushes past only to get shot in the back.   
"Oof…" You mutter just before the end alarm sounds.  
"Red team wins round one!" Someone declares and you both stand.  
"Next one will be mine." Daishou nudges you.   
"Oh? We're going by teams and not which one of us takes the other out first?" You blink at him.   
"If we do it that way I'll definitely win the two out of three." He shrugs.  
"Oh really? Alright. Bet." You breathe putting a hand on your hip.   
"Well originally it was ice cream but since you're looking at me like that…" He tilts his head in thought. "If I win… You'll transfer to Nohebi." He decides, making your eyes widen. "Show me your resolve." His eyes narrow at you. You swallow and shift at that.  
So it was that sort of bet. One that would make you decide to stay with everyone at Raizu, or go to Nohebi and join Daishou.   
"I'll wait to see your answer." Daishou breathes walking for his team's base. You blink and start for yours in deep thought. You walk in and the others straighten, looking at you as you shift and raise your head with a fiery gaze.   
"Let's win these next two matches." You tell them.   
"Right." They nod and get ready.  
'Sorry Daishou. But I don't want to run away and regret it.' You think to yourself. "Oh Tsukishima, that was a nice save earlier. Didn't know you had it in you." You tell him.  
"... It was nothing…" He shrugs.  
"By the way they have Hiro and Konoha on that team. If Konoha can copy Daishou's quirk we're going to have a real problem on our hands." You say looking amongst the former stranded.  
"That will be a problem." Yamaguchi nods.  
"Well if quirks are being used how about I make things interesting?" Numai smirks, a mini dense mist building in his palm.  
"Alright. Sounds fun." Tera snickers.  
"Fine by me I can smell them anyway." Tsukishima breathes.  
"Yamaguchi, can you be my back-up again? Daishou will probably want another show down with me." You tell him, pointing to yourself.  
"Oh. You sure? I wasn't much help last time." He frowns lightly.  
"Of course. The fact that you snuck up on him is amazing itself." You grin. "Help me out again. He blinks, eyes lighting up before he smiles and nods. Tsukishima peers at you both quietly before looking away.   
"It's almost time." He states getting up.  
"Alright guys. Let's go have some more fun. Numai rumbles leading the way out as the doors open. A dense mist takes over the battlefield as everyone splits up again.   
'I can do this. It's no different from the particles, just listen and focus.' You tell yourself, stepping lightly, pressing your feet into the ground in an attempt to feel for approaching footsteps. Times like this really made you envy the animal quirks. You feel the wall you're up against trimmer from someone else leaning on it. You swiftly duck down and spin around the wall shooting down the opponent before quickly moving to another area.  
Yamaguchi shadows you carefully with Tsukishima, peering around trying to see through the mist. You reach a stack of barrels and stop, trying to estimate how fast Daishou could find you. By your calculations he was probably already near you.  
You raise your gun instinctively, making Yamaguchi and Tsukishima take cover warily. "This fog wouldn't be your doing, would it?" Daishou's voice sounds on top of the barrels. You impulsively spin out of the way as paintballs splatter where you had been. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi swiftly fire at him but he's already gone. You quickly move around the barrels to shoot him but he dodges for the otherside.   
Yamaguchi gasps as Daishou takes him out of the game. Tsukishima dodges and takes cover behind you. "He's so fast." He hisses.   
"Yeah. That's my terrifying boss." You smile a bit, kicking the barrels over to make Daishou reveal himself. A snake tail wraps around one and throws it at you. You swiftly dodge firing at him as Tsukishima scrambles out of the way.  
"H-Hey! You two are going overboard." The blond gasps as you and Daishou fire at each other and swiftly take cover again.  
"I'm not losing!" You call out.  
"Oh? That so?" Daishou calls back and you can hear a grin in his voice.  
"Yes! No matter what I gotta go through I'm not running away from them! If they want to hate me or be disgusted…. Then that's just what I deserve!" You shout.   
"If that's how they feel then they don't deserve you." Daishou retorts, suddenly sliding into view and firing at you. "So I'm not backing down." He declares as you narrowly dodge them.  
You dive behind another wall, catching your breath, tears leaving your eyes. "Dammit. Daishou…" You get up wiping your face.   
"Are you… Crying?" His voice sounds in front of you, and you jump looking up to find him standing a few feet away looking surprised.   
"Why do ya gotta say those sweet things? You make it really hard not to go along with you." You scoff.   
"Because they're true." He says softly, raising his gun at you. Tsukishima swiftly steps behind you and fires at him. One of the paintballs splattering on his chest. "Tch dammit." Daishou takes a knee. "But my team's winning this one." He gives you a determined glare. "So get ready for the final round."  
Tsukishima growls, and you glance back as he moves to take a knee, revealing Hiro behind him. You blink and move to dodge but another shot from another direction hits you. You plop down at that.   
"Dammit…" You sigh.   
".... So what are you two competing over?" Tsukishima inquires.   
"If he wins. He wants me to transfer to his school." You tell him.  
"And you don't want to go." Tsukishima clarifies.  
"No… I don't want to leave my friends at Raizu." You frown.  
"They don't appreciate you. So just come to my side already." Daishou grumbles.   
"I didn't realize you liked the idea that much." You comment.  
"I was going to go along and see what you did. But then you said that and now I'm fighting back." He folds his arms. You blink at him at that, meeting his gaze. "You're my partner, I'm not going to leave you somewhere you feel awful."  
"Blue team wins round two!" The announcement sounds.  
"The last one will decide this." Daishou says getting up and heading off. You and Tsukishima watch him go before the blond looks at you.   
"So. Still want to win?" He inquires. You meet his analysing gaze.  
"I'm not done with Raizu yet. Let's win the next one." You respond leading the way back with him.   
You reach the base and red team peers at you awkwardly. "Are you and Daishou fighting or something?" Yamaguchi asks you carefully.  
"They made a bet." Tsukishima assures them.  
"Let's win this last one. Okay guys?" You request.  
"Sure." Numai nods. "Don't get it but I like winning so..."  
"We're going to need a strategy for the next round since it'll probably get out of control if we don't leash it now." Tsukishima states, tossing a pointed gaze your way.  
"... Sorry for getting a barrel thrown at us." You rub your neck looking to the side.   
"So here's what we'll do." Tsukishima starts making everyone huddle up.   
The next round starts and your team rushes out ahead of you. You frown anxiously, shifting your hold on your gun as you follow them into the mist. You listen carefully and soon a whistle sounds to your right, making you head for the left side carefully, spotting a blue best and firing at it as you continue on.   
"Blue zone." Numai calls. You blink and the sound of paint gun pops sound nearby.   
"To the center then." You whisper going to the piles of tires that marked the center of the battlefield. You reach it, peering around carefully. More pops sound and you get lower, hearing another whistle sound on both sides. 'He's here.' You raise your gun, and look over as a warning whistle sounds.   
"Your team really pulled together fast. Making it a real problem to move freely." He comments on the other side of the tires. You turn and step back as more pops sound nearby.  
"Yeah. A surprising strategist took the reigns." You smirk, raising your foot and kicking the tires as he does the same, the pile wobbles before falling apart. You fire through the opening as it reveals itself, hearing a grunt from him as the tires bounce out of the way to show you had got him in the center of his chest.  
"Damn." He gives a small proud smile. "Good shot." He breathes. You smile back and his eyes glint to behind you ever so slightly. You dive to the side, twisting about and firing at Hiro.   
"Ah… You got me." Hiro huffs with a frown.   
"But I got you." Konoha breathes taking aim at you since you had landed at his feet. But some pops of red paint splatter over his torso, making him stagger back.  
"Just in time." Kuguri breathes coming over to help you up.  
"Thanks Kuguri." You smile getting to your feet.  
"Red team wins Round three! Congratulations on your victory, please stop by the lockers to receive your coupons!" The announcement chimes.  
"Ah. We won." You breathe smiling a bit.  
"We almost had you." Konoha scoffs as the mist clears to show you and Kuguri had been the only ones left in the Red team.   
"Eh? You guys went down?" You blink in surprise.  
"The ghost guy got us." Numai points at Hiro.  
"Daishou didn't want to lose." Hiro shrugs.  
"Cheats…" Tsukishima huffs unhappily.  
"Eh ya do what you can." Daishou hums thoughtfully.  
"So. You guys wanna join us for a birthday party?" You ask, checking the time. "We have thirty minutes now."   
"Really?" Daishou blinks in surprise. "I didn't realize it took that long."  
"Right? It was a lot of fun. Let's team up next time boss." You grin at him as you all head out. He blinks at you before smiling softly.   
"Alright. Sounds fun." He rumbles.   
"Let's stop by the store. If we're going to a birthday party we should get Daishou some presents." Yamaguchi says.  
"Eh? It's your birthday?" Konoha huffs to him.  
"If you said so we would've fought harder." Hiro comments.  
"Eh… Don't worry about it. Even if I were to get nothing today… I'd still be pleased." Daishou shrugs, peering at you thoughtfully.  
"Aw… Boss. You're so sweet today." You pull his head down to hug it warmly.   
"I can't walk… Or breathe like this…" Daishou blushes.  
"Heh. You two sure are closer than when we were on the island." Konoha comments.  
"We've been hanging out a lot." You grin releasing Daishou.  
"Oh. You guys were great at the Tournament." Yamaguchi gasps suddenly.  
"Eh? You thought so?" You smile sheepishly.   
"Yeah. You two were really wrecking it with your team's… Too bad for that weird thing that happened at the end." Tera agrees nodding.  
"You're telling me. I would've liked a rematch." You hum peering at Daishou.  
"We can still do that. Hope you're ready to lose again." He smiles, tail swishing behind him.  
"No way. I'll definitely win next time." You scoff as you remove the vests and receive the coupons. Once everyone's done you and Daishou lead them to a shopping area so they could scatter as you and Daishou sit together at one of the tables in the courtyard area.  
"I'm not going to lie. I'm disappointed about the results." Daishou sighs.  
"Heh… Maybe next time boss." You pat his head.  
"Hm? But if I let you go now there's a good chance you won't stand for another bet like that." Daishou sighs leaning his chin in his palm giving you a slight pout. "But I guess I'll wait for another opportunity."   
"Sorry birthday boy. Can I get you something else for your birthday?" You chuckle lightly. He hums pursing his lips in thought.  
"Well if you're going to offer… how about a kiss?" He hums. You smack your forehead to the table blushing at the request. He chuckles in amusement, tail swishing about. "That was a cute reaction ___.”   
"You're the worst." You peer at him in embarrassment.   
"You offered. Come on." He taps his cheek. You huff and get up to lean over the table to kiss his cheek but someone beats you to it.  
"Happy birthday snake bastard." Kuroo hums as you and Daishou freeze.  
"... I'm going to kill you." Daishou growls red faced.  
"Well it looked like you wanted that." Kuroo snickers.  
"Not from you! Ugh I need to bleach my face now. Yuck!" Daishou complains, wiping at his cheek in disgust.  
"You're hurting my feelings." Kuroo sighs, smirking devilishly.  
"Good! Go squirm in pain bedhead!" Daishou snaps in irritation. "What are you even doing here?!"  
"I sensed you were making ___ do something bad." Kuroo claims in a heavenly tone. You and Daishou stare at him at that. "... Don't gotta look at me like that."   
"I'm kinda freaked out by that explanation actually." You murmur to Daishou.  
"Let's just ditch the loser." Daishou responds quietly.  
"I can hear you." Kuroo frowns. "And just so you know. Mika invited us to the party so I came over here and got you a present." He holds up a bag. Daishou leans away looking at the bag suspiciously.  
"... I don't want it." Daishou frowns.   
"Okay… Then I'm taking ___.” Kuroo decides, picking you up.   
"Oi!" Daishou's tail wraps around you, pulling you into his lap and wrapping his arms around you tightly. "___'s staying with me until after the party." He declares in annoyance.   
"What a selfish guy." Kuroo frowns leaning forward. "Raizu's not going to let you take ___ away."   
"Tch." Daishou glares, arms tightening around you. You glance at him, turning your head and kissing his cheek. He pauses and blushes hiding his face against your shoulder.   
"You feel better now?" You pat his head.  
"Yeah." He grumbles.  
"Kuroo, save the provoking for another day. It's not cool to get people riled up on their birthday." You scold lightly.  
"Fine… Can you get off his lap now?" Kuroo frowns. You try to get up but Daishou holds you in place.  
"Nope." Daishou hums.   
"So stubborn today." You sigh.   
"Mhm. Very stubborn." He agrees while Kuroo scowls before the others from the paintball field join back up.  
"Ah. You're… Kuroo right?" Yamaguchi greets.  
"Yeah… Weren't you guys on the island?" Kuroo blinks at them in surprise.  
"Yeah. We all met up at the paintball field by chance." You tell Kuroo as Daishou let's you go so you both can stand.   
"It's really weird how that happened." Tsukishima comments.  
"It's like we were all supposed to meet up today." Yamaguchi chuckles lightly.  
"Yeah. For Daishou's birthday!" You cheer getting excited. "Alright let's go party!" You add leading the way. Daishou and Kuroo chuckle, following along with the others.   
Soon you reach the park, spotting Mika and Dorm One amongst the picnic tables, one stacked with presents. "___! Daishou!" Mika cheers, running up to hug you both. She gives Daishou a kiss on the cheek, making him blush. "Happy birthday!"   
"Thanks… Wow, you really out did yourself." He rumbles peering around, his eyes sparkling slightly.   
"Dorm One came early to help." She says sheepishly.  
"Don't be modest you had everything almost set up by the time we got here." Iwaizumi chuckles lightly.  
"___!” Bokuto cries, glomping you, burying your face in his toned chest. "I love you baby! I'm so sorry!" You couldn't really respond patting his back reassuringly unable to breathe.   
"Bokuto-san, ___ can't breathe." Akaashi frowns slightly.  
"Oh! Sorry. Are you okay?" Bokuto releases you, cupping your face.  
"I'm fine, but what do you have to be sorry about? Everything was my fault." You sigh rubbing your nose.  
"No. You were right. They would've just kept killing if they hadn't been stopped." He frowns, rubbing your cheeks. "I didn't try to understand why you did all that and I'm sorry."   
"It's okay. I'm not mad… I just didn't want you guys to hate me… I'm sorry. I should've called before it got that bad." You tell him.   
"Frankly, I don't care." Akaashi states making you both look at him. "The important thing is that we're all alive and safe right now. And no one is being hunted. Let's just be happy about that."   
"Right." You and Bokuto nod.  
"Alright. Since everything seems patched up, let's begin." Daishou pulls you back to him with his tail.   
"Right. Let's eat and party!" Oikawa chimes.  
Everyone splits up at that to eat and socialize, some of the rowdy ones dancing around the little speaker Mika had brought. Kiyoomi soon joins you, Mika and Daishou at a table.   
"Did you have fun? Are you coming home?" He inquires.  
"Yeah I had fun." You answer and glance at Daishou in wonder about the second question.  
"I had a feeling it would be today. Go home." Daishou nods.   
"Alright. Then yes. I'm coming home." You smile at Kiyoomi. His dark eyes soften at that and you can tell he's smiling beneath the mask.  
"Good…" He breathes, leaning on you slightly. It was a simple and warm gesture that you hadn't realized you needed until then. You sigh quietly and lean back against him.   
"Oh ___, I called that place. They're bringing it here." Mika tells you.  
"Seriously? That's awesome." You grin. "He's going to love it."  
"... You're just teasing me now huh?" Daishou deadpans.  
"Yep." You and Mika smile.  
"So once the big present gets here we can begin?" You guess.  
"Mhm! It's actually coming up now." Mika points. "Present time!" She calls as you both get up. Daishou and Kiyoomi follow suit, everyone crowding the gift table.   
"Geez…" Daishou smiles slightly looking at the gifts. "Thanks everyone. I really wasn't expecting so much stuff." He rubs his neck, peering at the big one as Stone brings it over on a dolly.   
"You can't start with that one." Mika says quickly. "You gotta save ___'s for last."  
"___'s huh…" Daishou peers back at you before starting to open the gifts, his face becoming brighter with each one you and Mika had picked out for him. Some of the others were gag gifts, earning a chuckle or an eye roll.   
Finally he comes to the fridge, tail swishing about excitedly. Mika nudges you, bouncing in anticipation while you pull her in front of yourself to hide behind her nervously as Daishou pulls off the wrapping paper and freezes.   
"Holy shit." Iwaizumi's eyebrows raise.   
".... ___….” Daishou says lowly, turning to you and Mika slowly. Mika giggles swiftly moving out of the way as he approaches you with a shadowed expression. You avoid looking at him, fingertips pressing together.  
"So… You don't like it..?"  
"I love it. And how you always seem to read my mind." He cups your face, smiling devilishly. "I'm going to kiss you in front of everyone now."   
"Oi!" The dorm objects quickly but it was too late. Daishou had already kissed you happily, pulling back with a grin while red covers your face.  
"Thanks. ___, Mika. This has been the best birthday I've ever had."  
"You're welcome!"


	66. Here For You

"What am I gonna do…" You grumble in thought, looking through a magazine.  
"Hm? Are you still looking for a place to take Tendo?" Oikawa leans over the back of the couch. It's the night of Daishou's birthday, You had returned to the dorm after the party, a message from Tendo reminded you that you had to take him on a date in two days.  
"I want to surprise him with something new. But we've done most of this together." You sigh.  
"Oh! What about this!?" Nishinoya jumps over the back of the couch, landing beside you with his phone. "A murder train!" He shows you.  
"Oh. That would be fun, solving a murder together." You hum.   
"Actually it's one of the ones where the killer keeps striking until they're taken out. The killer versus the passengers, and whoever wins gets a random prize from gift cards to trips that are paid for." He says as you read over it.   
"Send me the link so I can sign up. They'll probably cover the food as well." You grin. "Noya you genius."   
"Heh. It is a pretty great idea huh?" He rumbles sheepishly. He sends you the link and you quickly sign you and Tendo up.   
"Says the killer is randomly picked upon arrival." You murmur.   
"Yeah, but that's one out of ten, probably won't be you guys." Oikawa points.  
"Yeah." You smile thoughtfully before hugging Nishinoya. "Now I get a free day tomorrow!"  
"Nope. You get school, and make up day tomorrow." Kiyoomi states, holding out a folder. "Notes on the left side, work on the right."   
".... Oh…." You feel the slight weight of it. "That's not too bad."   
"There's also a test in there." He informs.  
"... Thanks Kiyoomi." You smile, lucky to at least have notes for all of it. "Guess I'll get started on this then." You hum moving to the table.  
"Don't stay up long." Kiyoomi breathes.  
"Okay."

"You stayed up…" Kiyoomi's voice wakes you up.   
"Mm… I was almost done…" You yawn sitting up. "Almost done…" You murmur again, moving to continue but he takes your pencil.   
"You could continue… Or you can come to bed…" He says softly, tilting his head as he peers at your face. "With me."   
"... Of course that's going to get me." You smile sheepishly. He smiles in return, picking you up and carrying you upstairs to his room. "Thanks for the notes… They're easy to read…" You yawn.  
"Of course, everything's nice and neat." He breathes lightly, setting you down on the bed and moving to cover you up.   
"Kiyoomi…" You reach for him, making him pause, before climbing in with you, pulling you into him.   
"If you finish your makeup work tomorrow, and do good at school… Let's go somewhere, just you and me." He breathes as you peer at his face.   
"A date?" You whisper.   
"More like fulfilling one of your requests." He breathes.   
"Hm? Which one?" You blink at him.  
"Surprise." He pokes your nose. "Now go to bed."   
"Fine…" You breathe, closing your eyes and drifting off. He watches you, caressing your cheek softly before closing his eyes, forehead pressing against yours. 

_Little Tendo stands in front of you in a pitch black darkness. The only light coming off him. "I'll keep our important promise. No matter what ___." The boy smiles looking up at you, the darkness coiling around him like shadowy claws.  
"You don't need to Tendo… Come on, get away from the darkness." You reach for him as a shadow hand creeps onto the child's face. It unnerved you in a way, the shadow creeping over one eye and making it glow.  
"Why are you worried? The darkness is our friend." He smiles childishly and the shadows suddenly consume him, becoming a dark growing vortex. "We're monsters after all." The child's voice deepens and echoes into present Tendo's voice, the shadows suddenly rip away, clearing the darkness as Tendo smiles wearing his villainous suit.   
"But." You try to step back, but your foot finds nothing. Tendo grabs your right wrist to keep you from falling. Your hand seemed to contort, becoming blackened and clawed, moving as if it wasn't entirely your hand.  
"It's okay ___. I know what you are, and I still love you… Besides… You've already proven it." He smiles sweetly looking down pointedly. You follow his gaze finding that you both stood on a mountain of bodies. You gasp and flail a bit, making him let you go to fall away from the towering corpse mountain. You cry out, twisting in the air to find a blood colored sea beneath you. A familiar diamond coated face breaches the water, empty mouth opening to catch you. Darkness suddenly surrounds you as you fall in. _

'It's almost time.' An unfamiliar hiss sounds against your ear and you jump, sitting up in bed suddenly. Kiyoomi almost falls off the bed looking at you in surprise before relaxing.   
"Good. You're up… Are you okay?" He touches your back softly.  
"Almost time for what?" You ask, looking at him uneasily. He blinks looking at you in confusion.   
"I didn't say anything about time? I was just calling your name to wake you up, it seemed like you were having a nightmare." He frowns softly in concern. You meet his gaze before looking away and rubbing your cheek.  
"Sorry… I don't remember what it was about… Only that it was… Bad." You murmur, a lie, you didn't want to think about it.  
"___… You said Tendo." He tries to jock your memory.  
"I don't know." You respond getting out of bed, checking the time. An hour before class starts. "I'm going to start on breakfast. You got a request?"  
"Surprise me… You sure you're okay though?" He frowns softly. You pause and offer him a smile.  
"Im fine. Nightmares happen." You shrug before going out. You felt exhausted though.   
Reaching downstairs you find Iwaizumi already starting breakfast. He pauses after you stop to watch him and looks back, jumping slightly. "Dammit ___!” He gasps touching his chest.  
"Oh.. Um… Boo?" You blink, doing claw hands at him. He deadpans at that before checking around.  
"Not a word." He points at you.   
"Like anyone would believe me." You shrug. "What are you making though? Want help?" You ask joining him at the stove.  
"Sure. I was sticking with something simple…" He tells you, peering at your face. "You stayed up late catching up didn't you? You left your worksheets and phone down here."   
"Yeah. Kiyoomi had to come get me." You admit. "Remind me to check on Tendo after we finish breakfast please." You request as you start to help him cook.  
"Sure… If I remember…" He nods.  
You both finish and Iwaizumi rings the bell as you set up the table and put down the plates, everyone soon coming to the dining room.  
"Good morning everyone." You greet.  
"Morning." The chorus sounds. Bokuto cheerfully hugs you, pressing a kiss to your cheek.   
"You look tired my love. You didn't sleep well?" Bokuto cups your cheek with a concerned frown.  
"I'm fine, I just stayed up late and woke up early." You assure. Out of the corner of your eye you see Kiyoomi pause. "Anyway I need to eat and finish my makeup work." You add going to sit at your plate and briskly start eating.  
"Okay.." Bokuto tilts his head lost, sitting beside you and starting to eat as well.   
"___! I'm home!" The familiar call makes you freeze briefly before looking over as Tendo peers in coming to you cheerfully, a store bag on his arm.  
"Morning Tendo." You greet with a smile as he hugs you warmly. His warmth almost instantly coaxes you to go back to sleep.  
"Hm? You're sleepy huh?" He peeks at your face.  
"Mhm. But I gotta do the school thing today." You nod.   
"Then maybe I should give you my Espresso shot." He hums pulling back to dig through his bag before passing you one.  
"... That could work." You say taking it. "I need to charge my phone and finish my work." You add getting up.  
"You only ate half…" Osamu frowns lightly.  
"I'm not that hungry. And I doubled up because of Bokuto and Kuroo.” You tell him taking your makeup work and phone upstairs. Tendo follows you up, munching on a piece of bacon he had snatched from your plate.   
"Must've been a bad nightmare huh?" He guesses as you both enter your room. You pause as you plug up your phone. You glance at him, before looking at your homework.   
"I don't know… maybe." You try to brush it off. Tendo blinks and reaches for your face. You catch the glint of blood covering his palm and instinctively catch it in alarm.   
"Hm? ___?” He tilts his head as you look over his hand, finding it clean. You blink at it pulling up his sleeve and checking his arm. "___?" He says your name a bit louder making you pause.  
"Yeah… It was a bad one." You sigh, bringing his hand over your cheek and cuddling it. Why now though? Is it because everything is starting to settle? Your grip on his arm tightens a bit and he blinks, stepping closer and pulling you close.   
"I'm here… It's okay. Whatever's bothering you will pass." He breathes softly. You bury your face in his chest for a few moments before pulling away.  
"Thanks for stopping by." You tell him.  
"Felt like I should. Now I see why." He cups your face. "My paradise is cloudy. I hope when the clouds clear you'll smile with a rainbow." He pecks your nose. "Although it would help more if you would just tell me about it." He mushes your cheeks gently.   
"Sorry Satori. Not this time." You hum smiling lightly. He pouts slightly but let's it go. "I uh… Got our date planned out." You tell him. "It took me a while but I got some help."  
"Really? Oh ___ you're making me so happy." He gushes hugging you. "Making plans for me…"   
"Heh. I'll make sure you have so much fun." You hug him back, peering at his face.   
"___, I always have fun when I'm with you. Unless we're fighting." He looks into your eyes warmly. "You could say 'lets have a date in a kiddie pool' and I would think it was the most amazing thing."   
"Pfft… I mean, we could do that too. Put a little screen and watch movies while we sit in a kiddie pool." You chuckle.  
"Sounds like a blast… Especially if we put on a scary movie." He rumbles in amusement, lips brushing against yours before you both kiss. "I love you."   
"I love you too." You breathe. He smiles and pulls away.  
"I'm going to have such a good day now." He grins happily. "Good luck today ___. And I hope you feel better." He takes your hands into his, giving a soft squeeze. "Call me if it gets worse."   
"I will." You smile a bit more. He looks into your eyes before swiftly pecking your lips.   
"See you soon. I really want to see you soon." He says going out. You smile as he disappears down the hall.   
"Just gotta get through today." You mutter looking at the make up work left. No time now, maybe during class if you paid attention.   
"Ready?" Kiyoomi's voice sounds from the doorway and you meet his careful gaze.  
"Yeah. Let's get to class."

First class of the day was a review thankfully, so you were able to finish up all of your makeup work then. The classes move slowly until lunch time.   
"Alright. Halfway through today… And tomorrow is the murder train date." You breathe lightly, getting in line for food.  
"Oh. That reminds me, my sister mentioned that murder train recently. You might see her." Ryuu rumbles.  
"Really? That's cool." You smile lightly.  
"Saeko nee-chan is the coolest!" Nishinoya gasps.  
"High praise from Nishinoya." You nudge him playfully. He grins sheepishly at that.   
"So any idea if we're having training after lunch? I swear I'm about to fall asleep in class." Ryuu huffs.  
"Probably. It's been a few days." Nishinoya hums. "Think you can keep up ___?"  
"Hah? Of course I can. I haven't been slacking off that much." You scoff lightly, making them chuckle.   
"Sure sure." Ryuu waves at you.   
"So what exactly did you do with your boss?" Atsumu inquires.  
"Well… we had a date with Mika. Then Mika and I went shopping for Daishou's gifts… And yesterday before the party I took Daishou to the paintball field. It was a lot of fun." You grin.   
"Hmph." He pouts slightly. "I'm going to take you on a better date." He states looking away with a huff.   
"Huh?" You blink at him confused.   
"You heard me." He sends you a frown. "After Tendo, it's my turn."  
"Sure okay." You nod.   
You reach the food and you freeze for a moment, only seeing blood in the slots. "Hm? See a bug?" Nishinoya peers at your paling face, making you blink back to find everything normal again.  
"Ah guess I imagined one." You joke, sending him a smile as you fill your tray before briskly moving to sit down. They frown and all share a look before joining you.   
"So where's Sakusa?" Ryuu peers about as he sits.   
"He said he had made food and left it at the dorm." You tell them.   
"Probably didn't want to eat at the tables." Atsumu hums starting to eat.   
"Yeah. Too many people…" You look at your plate, poking at the food but your appetite is gone.  
"___? You okay?" Osamu inquires lightly.  
"Mhm." You hum putting a fork to a piece of meat but not picking it up. "Guess I'm not that hungry." You breathe, starting to get up, freezing when a pair of arms come around you.   
"I came back to see you." Tendo rests his chin on your shoulder with a smile. "Aren't you going to eat?"  
"Ah… I just don't feel very hungry." You meet his gaze. He hums, eyes moving to the plate.  
"Of course not. That's not 'Samu food." He jokes lightly. You blink and he meets your gaze. "He's had you too spoiled. Maybe you just don't find this stuff appetizing."  
"He has a point." Nishinoya nods.   
"Yeah compared to Osamu food the school food is kinda bland." Ryuu agrees.   
"Samu's getting so red. You guys are embarrassing him with all those compliments." Atsumu snickers as his twin brings a hand over his face.  
"Alright then. I don't know if I can make much in the time we have left for lunch… But if it gets you to eat I'll make it." Osamu smiles, standing up, pink dusting his cheeks as he peers at you.   
"That's okay. I feel like a bother." You assure.  
"Nothing bothers me more than you skipping a meal." Osamu shrugs.   
"Alright. To the dorm!" Nishinoya cheers leading the way. You follow behind the group with Tendo.  
"Maybe you're getting a cold." Tendo murmurs, making you look at him. "Usually on the rare chance you catch one, your appetite goes down and you tend to get more nightmares than usual." He keeps his eyes ahead, his voice only loud enough for you. "Want me to take care of you?"  
"Tendo, I'm fine." You assure, making his gaze drift to you. "It's… not something I want to bother everyone with is all… It's fine… It's my problem." You breathe looking down. His eyes narrow briefly before looking ahead again.  
"I'll be here for the rest of the day then. I'll be here if you need me." He decides, fingers running over the palm of your hand as you walk.   
"Your hand is so warm. Maybe you're getting sick." You tease, bringing up his hand to look at it, stiffening a bit for a moment, only seeing a red cloud in place of it. You blink a few times and everything returns to normal. "Yeah… So warm." You hold his hand between yours, sending him a tight smile.   
"Mhm…" He just hums doubtfully. "Alright. But you know, there's always someone you can talk to."  
"I'm not sure about that." You breathe.   
Reaching the dorms the group goes into the kitchen, making Kiyoomi scowl slightly as he eats at the counter. "Don't look so happy to see us." Atsumu jokes lightly.  
"Why are you guys here? Lunch is almost over." Kiyoomi responds.  
"___ didn't want the cafeteria food. So I'm going to make some." Osamu responds. Kiyoomi's eyes sweep to you at that and you rub your neck, looking to the side.  
"Huh… Okay then…" Kiyoomi looks at his plate and Tendo shifts.  
"Hey Kiyoomi, are you done eating? Let's talk outside." Tendo smiles cheerfully.   
"Sounds like yer picking a fight." Atsumu comments.  
"Hm? No no. I couldn't take him in a fight." Tendo waves his hand with a chuckle. "He would just paralyze me anyway. But seriously…" He peers at Kiyoomi, cocking his head to the door. Kiyoomi nods, cleaning up his plates before following him out as you sit at the counter with Atsumu, Nishinoya starting a cheerful conversation.  
"Did ___ tell you what's wrong?" Kiyoomi asks as they step outside.  
"Nope… Being really stubborn about it. But I think I understand what's going on." Tendo hums lightly.   
"Then what is it?" Kiyoomi asks, "It has to be something to do with the nightmare, right?"  
"Yes. That nightmare might've triggered it actually… It's called 'Murderer's Delusions'. It's the conscience's way of trying to stop immoral acts like killing. Sometimes the brain will show things other than reality, like blood everywhere, bodies… Just jarring, gruesome stuff." Tendo explains making Kiyoomi pale. "___ probably isn't saying anything because they think it's what they deserve…"  
"Oh… How do you know about this…?" Kiyoomi shifts.  
"It was the main plot of a psychological horror movie I watched before." Tendo tells him. "It might get worse too the longer ___ tries to shrug it off."  
"I see…" Kiyoomi frowns, looking down troubled. "What can I do?"   
"Just keep an eye on ___. When it becomes too much ___ will talk… All we can do is try to be supportive until their mind settles." Tendo rubs his cheek.   
"... Thanks for telling me something. I think I understand why ___ didn't." Kiyoomi nods.  
"Don't gotta thank me. I understand how you feel. We're the same when it comes to ___ after all." Tendo pats his shoulder before going inside.   
Osamu sets some food in front of you and you eat quietly, giving a hum. It tasted like nothing. "It's good." You murmur, making the cook smile. He reaches out, placing a gentle hand on your head before giving the others a plate as well.  
"___, do you have to go back to class? How about a nap? You're all caught up again right?" Tendo sits next to you, cuddling into your side as you eat.   
"Yeah, but Kiyoomi said he has a surprise for me if I get everything done and do good today." You tell him.  
"Ooh exciting." Tendo breathes smiling at you. A small smile finds its way onto your lips.  
"Isn't it? Unexpected even." You murmur focusing on the food, determined to clear the plate for Osamu.   
You finish eating and get up. "I'm gonna get my phone." You breathe heading upstairs. Tendo follows after you, humming to himself.  
"Can I stay in your room until classes are over?" Tendo inquires.   
"Of course? You gonna nap? Or watch movies?" You guess opening your door and stiffening slightly, a familiar diamond shell stands in front of the doorway, blood leaking from the eyes and mouth. 'Not there. Not there…' Your mind assures.  
"Hm? You see something?" Tendo inquires peering into the empty room making you blink.   
"Nothing." You assure softly, going in to unplug your charger and retrieve your phone. Tendo rolls onto the bed after taking off his shoes.  
"Think I'll nap… and stay the night with you." He breathes making you pause.   
"Really?" You ask, lighting up a bit. He blinks at the excitement in your voice before looking at you and smiling cutely.  
"Did you miss cuddling me?" He chimes opening his arms to you. You pause and smile going over and hugging him tightly.  
"I guess so." You breathe into his shoulder as he hugs you just as tightly. You soon pull away and he hums softly looking up at you.  
"Can I borrow a hoodie so I can cuddle it and pretend it's you?" He tilts his head.   
"Heh… Sure." You smile softly, removing your hoodie and passing it to him.  
"Aw still warm…" He smiles cuddling it to his cheek, a sleepy look coming to his face then.   
"Sleep well Satori." You whisper as he turns on his side and curls up to fall asleep. You pull a blanket over him and kiss his temple before heading out and downstairs, meeting up with the others before heading back to class.

"Alright, today our battle training will split everyone up into heroes and villains." Takeda smiles at the class. "The course we're going to will have civilian decoys throughout it. Villains are trying to destroy it all. The heroes will be stopping the villains and saving the decoys bringing them to the safe zone near their door. Now everyone pulls a number. Odds will be villains." He gestures to the box.  
'Why does it gotta be like this?' You internally groan, an uneasy feeling building up in your chest as you get in line to pull a number. Everyone was separating into different lines. Then it was your turn to pull. You frown lightly at the 13 on the ball you had taken from the box. 'It's really not my day…' You think as you show your number. Atsumu cheerfully waves you over to join him, Akaashi, Kenma, and Nishinoya. You got to them facing the others that were to play heroes.   
"Okay Villains go in and start causing havoc." Takeda chimes. You follow the others in quietly.  
"Is something wrong ___? You don't seem very happy today." Kenma murmurs falling back to walk beside you.  
"It's just… not a good day for me." You shrug.   
"Ah. I get it. Can't always have a good day." He nods looking ahead. "But school is almost over. So you can just go to bed early and end it faster."   
"Heh… I like that thought." You smile a bit.   
"Hey ___! If you're feeling bad then make a big mess since we're Villains!" Nishinoya chimes.  
"Yeah. That might cheer you up." Akaashi hands you some grenades. You blink at them and chuckle a bit before meeting his gaze. He pauses, steely blue eyes flickering to her lips as he brings a pin of a grenade to them. You smirk and grab it with your teeth so he can pull it free. He tosses the grenade into a nearby store, making the others jump slightly.  
"Akaashi what the- what the hell!?" Atsumu gasps, pulling the other guy back after he kisses you deeply. "Really dude? We're in class!"  
"Sorry." Akaashi hums, sending you a wink and sticking out his tongue with the grenade pin on it. You blush heavily and cover your face at that. This guy…  
"I'm taking ___, you're all bad." Kenma states, tugging your arm and going further into the city course.   
"Guess I should destroy some stuff." You breathe starting to toss grenades at random, glancing back as a fire tornado sends a heat wave to your back. "Oh, he can do it by himself now…"  
"That's kinda worrisome." Kenma remarks firing his guns all over. "Why don't you use your quirk?" He asks you. You look at your right hand and feel a bit nauseous.   
"Eh… Don't really feel like it." You shrug. He raises an eyebrow and frowns softly.   
"What's wrong? Did your quirk act up?"   
"No. I just don't want to use it." You pull the pin from another grenade and throw it through a window.   
"Heroes!" Nishinoya's call sounds and you both look back.   
"Aone's ice!" Kenma alerts as the wall of ice comes for you both. You quickly remove your glove, and raise your hand to burst it, but it suddenly looked like a wall of blood. You flinch and close your eyes quickly. "___!"  
Your eyes snap open and you see your arm unraveling but the ice is still coming. 'Something's wrong.' You reach to repair it but the ice freezes your arm and legs in place. You blink at the wall. 'He can't see me.' You realize, trying to get free as the unraveling nears your shoulder.   
"___! Aone pull the ice back!" Kenma calls out trying to help you frantically. You blink at his worried face, but you couldn't even feel panic. Your eyes drift to your shoulder as it starts to break apart into a blood mist. It seemed like it was in slow motion… So beautiful in a way. You didn't even realize the twins had come until Atsumu grabs your face.   
"___! We're going to free you okay? Just try to stay together!" He tells you as Osamu works on melting the ice. Aone comes over wringing his hands.  
"Sorry…. Sorry…" He frowns softly.   
"It's… Not your fault. You didn't see it backfire." You assure blinking at him. You felt weird. Maybe you wanted this. The ice around your arm disappears but you don't move, eyes going to the red mist as it slowly unravels your shoulder more.   
"___! Snap out of it! Fix it!" Atsumu snaps at you in alarm.   
'Why though? This is fine.'  
"___, your arm…" Akaashi frowns worriedly.  
'Really, it doesn't even hurt…'  
"___! Do something! You're going to disappear!" Nishinoya pleads.  
'Just let me go-'  
"___." Kiyoomi's firm voice makes you instinctively repair your shoulder, and work your way down to your fingertips. You wince and fall to your knees at the shocking surge of pain, doubling over as you grip your repaired arm in agony.   
"I-I'm sorry…" You choke out gritting your teeth. The twins share a look before getting down and hugging you tightly.   
"It's okay… I'm glad you're okay." Atsumu murmurs.   
The exercise abruptly ends there. You can feel them looking at you in worried concern again. Takeda pulls you away after telling the others to return to the dorm.   
"___… You need to talk to someone." He says as you avoid his gaze. "Do I need to set you up for counseling?"  
"... No… I'm fine…" You murmur.  
"You think scaring me and your classmates like that isn't a need for alarm? You of all people knows what happens with your quirk." He tries to get you to look at him until you finally meet his soft worried gaze. "I don't know what's going on in your head. But I do know what it's like when someone you care about gives up on life." He frowns softly and an overwhelming grief, unease, and frustration comes down your shoulders. The sadness seemed to physically push you to your knees, eyes flowing with uncontrollable tears. A quiet sob pushes its way through your lips.  
"With my quirk I can project any emotion I've felt onto my target. What you're feeling is what I felt when a good friend took their life." He kneels down, rubbing your back.   
"I-I get it…" You stammer trying to calm yourself. "I'm sorry."  
"Please reach out. We're all waiting to take your hand if you need it." He says and stands up as the feeling disappears.   
"O-okay…" You manage, getting back to your feet and wiping your face sniffling. "I'm sorry Sensei."  
"Things happen… And most of the time there's no getting back what you had. So keep going forward. You'll be fine, even if you're stumbling." He says lightly.   
"Yes sir…" You nod before going out and toward the dorms. 'I really screwed up again… What the hell was I thinking back there?' You rub at your eyes. 'Ah… I'm tired…'   
Reaching the dorm, you ease in, trying not to be heard but the others all come into the lobby to take turns giving you warm hugs. So sweet, making tears come back to your eyes.  
'I don't deserve any of it…'   
"___.” Kiyoomi gains your attention and he cups your face gently. He searches your face before his brows knit together. "What can I do…?" His questions seemed more like a quiet plea. His hands felt so warm, making you close your eyes for a moment.  
"I… I don't think I belong here anymore… What should I do?" You sigh, making them all pause, the unease sweeps through them.  
"Wh-What do you mean? Are you talking about school?" Bokuto lightly begs for clarification.  
"I-is it because of Dagger?" Kenma murmurs.  
"Yeah… How can I be a hero? I don't really regret what I did…" You sigh. "And everything…"  
"It's not your fault." Ryuu interrupts and pinches your cheek. "We've accepted that it was something that had to be done. And we're all here for you and have your back. So just lean on us if you're not feeling well. We'll carry you until you're strong enough to walk again. We're friends." He smiles lightly. The others nod in agreement.   
A small smile forms on your lips now. "Thanks… All of you… And sorry for worrying you again."  
"You do do that a lot." Akaashi sighs before giving you a small smile. "But I'm happy you're here."  
"Thanks… I'm going upstairs and… I don't know… Shower maybe…" You shrug your shoulders.   
"I feel like we should have someone go with you." Nishinoya comments, making everyone look at him.  
"Please don't." You frown lightly.  
"Yeah no. Not happening." Atsumu huffs fire flickering over him. "___. You see us right?" His brown eyes bored into yours. What power they had.   
"... I see you." You nod.   
"Then I trust you. Go relax… I'll come up to cuddle you for a bit after. Okay?" He rumbles.  
"Ah… okay." You nod heading upstairs and to your room. You pause as you find Tendo still sleeping. You blink, going over and leaning over him, some of his hair was flopped over his forehead. He still nuzzled your hoodie as he sleeps peacefully. "How can you sleep so peacefully?" You ask. Your voice makes his eyelids flutter open.   
He peers up at you half asleep. "I sleep peacefully, because I have you… Always…" He smiles sleepily, fingers brushing your cheek softly.   
"That's it?" You murmur. That couldn't be it, how can he sleep so peacefully with the blood on his hands?  
"Mhm. As long as you're happy I can sleep peacefully." He tilts his head smiling more.   
"Because of me?" You echo.  
"Yeah. I love you. Your happiness and you, is all that matters to me." He tells you. Tears come to your eyes and you press your forehead to his chest. "Heyy, what's wrong my paradise?" He hugs you, waking up more.   
"I almost disappeared…. I almost let it take me… I didn't care about anyone's feelings. I thought it would be better without me… I'm so selfish Tendo.. How can you love me?" You sniff. He hums and sits up against the headboard, pulling you onto his lap gently.   
"Well. I'm super selfish too… Do you love me still?" He tips your chin with a soft smile. You nod and he wipes your tears. "And I'm a LOT of trouble. Do you still love me?"   
"Yeah. Of course." You nod. He touches his forehead to yours.  
"And if I were to die. Well. We already know how sad you would be… Right?" He tilts his head again.  
"Right." You confirm.   
"It's the same for me." He brings your right hand to his chest, a glimmer in his eyes. "What you would feel for me is what I would feel for you… Though it might be more intense for me." He admits looking to the side. You think it over as you watch him.   
"Alright… Thank you Satori." You hug him, burying your face in his shoulder.  
"Anytime my paradise… Are you still going with Kiyoomi? You should. It might help." He rubs your back.  
"Yeah…" You nod and sit up. "But he might not want to…" Tendo puts a finger to your lips.  
"Is that true Kiyoomi?" He hums. You pause and look at the doorway as Kiyoomi pokes his head in.  
"No. I want to still. If it helps." Kiyoomi admits.   
"Okay. Do I need anything?" You ask sitting up.  
"Nope. I've already grabbed what we need. Meet me in the lobby?" He responds softly.  
"Oh sure." You nod and he disappears.   
"Feeling better at all?" Tendo murmurs.   
"Yeah… I feel a bit lighter…" You smile, standing up.  
"Good… I'll see you when you return." He kisses the back of your hand. You smile a bit more before heading out into the hallway as Atsumu reaches it.  
"Hm? Change your mind?" He blinks coming over.  
"Yeah. Going somewhere with Kiyoomi." You tell him. He scowls softly and looks away with a small pout.  
"You owe me two cuddle naps now." He grumbles.  
"Deal… Oh, and Tendo's staying the night." You tell him.  
"... Fine. We'll bunk with Kuroo then. He and Bokuto are going to be watching marathons anyway." Atsumu sighs. "Oh right, when does the train leave tomorrow?"  
"Noon." You tell him. "We gotta go to a special station for it too. Apparently they got their own tracks just for it."   
"Interesting." He smiles rubbing your cheek. "Have fun. Feel better okay? Got your phone?"   
"Yeah, got it. I'll be back later. Sleep well okay?" You rub the top of his head. He hums happily, closing his eyes for a moment.   
"Okay ___, leave the vermin here." Kiyoomi hums going past with a backpack.   
"So mean..." You smile a bit. "See you soon. Tsumu." You breathe heading to the lobby with Kiyoomi. "Where to?"  
"Not telling yet." He hums leading you out the door and down the street. He checks his phone before peering at you. "Talking to him really helped huh?"  
"It usually does… He can get through when it's dark and light it up a bit." You nod rubbing your cheek. He hums and looks ahead again. "But if you hadn't called out to me, I probably would've let myself disappear." You add lightly.   
"Me?" He breathes looking at you again.  
"Yeah. You called me back from the void…" You murmur and look at him. "So… Thanks." You offer a small smile. He blinks and pulls you into his side, capturing your lips in a warm and adoring kiss before he rests his forehead against yours.  
"I'll always be here for you. No matter what." He whispers, thumb rubbing your cheek softly. You smile leaning into his touch, the warmth of his hand seemed to sweep over your face and extend to the rest of your body.   
"You're really so good to me…" You touch his hand.   
"Of course. You're the only germ I can stand." He smiles lightly.  
"... I'm not a germ. So rude." You chuckle.   
"Yeah but you like it." He breathes as you both continue on. You reach an older highschool and he guides you to the gym. An older man with a mustache waits near the entrance.   
"Been a while Sakusa. It's all clean for you and your friend." He nods. "Along with the locker rooms."  
"Thank you Mr. Avery." Kiyoomi dips his head respectfully as you both change shoes before entering. You blink at the large pool and smile a bit, peering at Kiyoomi.  
"Ah. I get it now." You smile widely as he opens the backpack and hands you your swimsuit.   
"The locker rooms are through that door." He tells you simply. You nod and go through the door and into a locker room to change before going back out to the pool. Kiyoomi soon rejoins you, smiling thoughtfully as you look at the diving boards.   
"Heh. I didn't know how much I needed to go swimming until just now." You tell him getting on the diving board and diving in. There's a crash in the water nearby as he jumps in too. Your eyes meet his and you both move up for air, chuckling softly. "This is so nice!" You gasp.  
"And clean." He rumbles seeming really happy with just that fact, the water did little to tame his curls.  
"Ah of course. Or Kiyoomi would melt." You wiggle your fingers at him teasingly. He rolls his eyes and splashes you.  
"No, or Kiyoomi would be very uncomfortable at the thought of swimming in someone's filth." He snorts.  
"Heh. It's cute when you speak in third person." You tease.  
"Ugh. Why do you gotta make everything gross?" He huffs with a smile as you both swim around each other.  
"Adoring you isn't gross." You huff splashing him back.   
"Just the word sounds gross." He smirks, splashing you again.   
"Splash me one more time Kiyoomi." You warn.   
"Or what? You can't beat me Little Destroyer." He rumbles smiling more.  
"No. But I can tickle you." You hum, moving closer.  
"Don't you dare." He moves away hastily but you pursue him calmly. "Keep those gross hands away from me!" He laughs out swiftly swimming away.  
"Don't swim away from your feelings." You coo before diving at him. He swiftly dives down to avoid you. You snicker and dive after him, poking at his side. Bubbles leave his lips as he smiles and gently pushes you away. You internally chuckle, letting him move up for air before moving after him. You blink, and suddenly the water is blood red, and you don't see him. You inhale sharply, making the chlorine fill your mouth. You blink back and rush to the edge of the pool, pulling yourself out and coughing.   
"___? What happened? Did you… See something?" Kiyoomi asks carefully. You look at him and bite your lip.  
"I know… I know they deserved it…. But I keep seeing the blood… The red cloud… It didn't hurt them. They felt nothing when I did it… So why do I feel so bad? Why can't I escape these images?" You whisper shakily. "I just want to focus on you guys… But it's getting hard."  
He looks you over, an uncertain frown forming on his lips. "I don't know why… and I don't know how… But I'll stay with you until it passes." He cups your cheek. "I'll always be here for you."  
"Okay." You nod and relax.   
The both of you swim a bit longer before getting out and going to the locker rooms to change before heading back to the dorm. Kiyoomi was distracting your mind by bringing up random memories of the school year.   
Reaching the dorm, you give him a kiss before going inside and up to your room. Tendo peers over as you come in.  
"Your rainbow is showing, my paradise." He smiles.   
"Yeah. I feel better. I'll be fine… I'm going to shower before bed." You hum.   
"Yay! I can't wait to snuggle you!" He says cutely as you pick out clothes.   
"I'll be right back." You hum before going into your bathroom and taking a quick shower to get rid of the chlorine. You soon get dried and dressed before going out and climbing into bed with Tendo, instantly getting pulled into warm cuddles. "Excited for tomorrow?"  
"It's gonna be the best day ever. I just know it." He beams and kisses your cheek. "Goodnight my love."  
"Goodnight Satori."


	67. To The Murder Train

"Alright, I just got the reminder, we have our bags ready right?" You look from your phone to Tendo.  
"Yep! Did you finish eating?" He hums with a head tilt.  
"I did. Samu food." You give a thumbs up.   
"Thanks Samu!" Tendo calls handing you your backpack. "Got the location pulled up?"  
"Mhm. Apparently there's a sub station near Sakura. If we leave now it should be like twenty minutes early. Give us time to evaluate the competition." You tell him.   
"Ooo someone is in a winning mood today." He rumbles kissing your cheek.  
"I think if we get the prize I can repay Nishinoya for the idea." You purse your lips. "I can't see the rounds taking four hours, so maybe there's more prizes."   
"Oh I see. Prizes to gifts then?" He nods in understanding.  
"Mhm. Depending on what they are." You smile. "Ready?"  
"My dearest, I've been ready since we woke up." He chuckles happily. You smile and lead him downstairs and to the lobby.  
"We're off!" You call.  
"Have fun! Bring back snacks!" Bokuto glomps you happily.   
"Take care!" Nishinoya chimes hugging you too.  
"Make sure you eat." Osamu says.  
"Guys. I'm not going for a week. I'll be back soon, don't worry." You give them a smile.   
"Just take care okay? And stay clean." Kiyoomi hums.  
"Of course." You chuckle lightly.  
"Okay let's get going." Tendo takes your hand to leave but you hesitate, peering about.   
"Atsumu?" You call lightly, not seeing him. No response, the others peering about for him. You frown and take off your backpack, opening it to find the fox shrinking down. You pull him out with a huff. "You really can't help yourself huh?"   
"I don't want to go… It's just… I'll miss you…" The Fox's ears droop.   
"Aww someone really wants to go on a date with you." Tendo nudges you playfully.  
"Later Tsumu. Change back and give me a hug so I can go." You say, putting him down before zipping up your backpack and straightening up with it. He does so, giving you a big hug for a few moments before releasing you so you and Tendo can go. "I'll see you guys later." You wave as you and Tendo leave.  
"Alright. I called us a ride to cut the time in case the tracks go out." He smiles cheerfully, nodding to a rather expensive looking car as you both leave campus.   
"... Wow Tendo…." You blink in surprise. He just hums, opening the back door for you before climbing in after you settle in, blinking at the tinted glass that obscures the driver. 'Death?' You wonder curiously.   
"I just want today to go smoothly since you were sweet enough to plan this for us." Tendo rumbles in response, quick to cuddle up to you happily.   
"Of course. You always took me out on little dates and little adventures… I probably owe you like a hundred dates now…" You remark. "But it was hard just figuring out this one…"   
"Not true. You thought of The kiddie pool one." He points out kissing your cheek.  
"You're the one that said kiddie pool… I just added to it." You remind him. His arms come around you and he cuddles his cheek with yours.   
"Don't worry about it! I'm really just happy like this! Cuddling you… Kissing your soft skin." He whispers, pecking your cheek again. He rests his chin on your shoulder with a soft smile. "I love you." You meet his soft, warm gaze and let out a breath before kissing him in response. He hums in surprise as you press him against the car door.   
"_-_-___…" He stammers, breaking the kiss, pink covering his face. "W-We should behave a bit. The driver…" He chuckles sheepishly with a small smile. How cute he seemed now.  
"He'll be fine." You breathe making his eyes widen as you lean forward again. You smirk before covering his face in kisses until a small laugh leaves him.  
"That tickles!" He chuckles covering your mouth and making you pull back, eyes glimmering in amusement. "What's gotten into you?"   
"Hmm… Don't know. Just feel like cuddling and adoring you." You smile before cuddling his chest. He blinks before softening and holding you close, cuddling you in return.  
"Ah…. I love you so much… You make me so happy." He sighs in content. His eyes narrow slightly before he runs a finger down your neck, finding the chain and tugging it up so the ring can tumble from your shirt. He peers at the ring, holding it up between his fingers. Another blush rises to his cheeks and he shifts. "Hey ___? Could you wear this for me? Just for today?" He whispers carefully as you peer at it.  
"Okay." You hold up your left hand as he removes the chain and frees the ring. He hums biting his lip slightly as he slides it onto your ring finger. He lets out a breath before kissing the ring and cuddling his cheek against your palm.  
"So happy…" He smiles softly, closing his eyes. You smile watching him before you both drift off into a nap. 

"We're here! Hm? Doesn't look like anyone has arrived yet." Tendo peers about the empty train station.  
"Well we are pretty early." You hum peering about as well, pausing as he hugs you from behind.  
"Fine by me, means I can kiss you all I want for now." He kisses your cheek happily.  
"Heh. You're too sweet." You hum as he kisses the ring on your finger softly.   
"Oh. Hello?" Someone calls making you both look over at the guy as he approaches.   
"Hello." You and Tendo greet.  
"You're here for the murder train too right? I'm Iizuna." He nods as a familiar face peers over his shoulder.  
"Nice to meet you. I'm Tendo and this is ___."  
"Hm? Komori?" You blink as the other male steps out from behind Iizuna.  
"Hey ___," Komori smiles before giving a slight bow. "Tendo-san." He adds.  
"You can drop the honorific… Been a while Komori." Tendo waves his hand.  
"You know each other?" Iizuna comments to Komori.  
"Yeah. We all grew up near each other with Sakusa." Komori answers him. "I spoke to him a few days ago. I'm glad to see you doing well." He tells you.  
"Heh… It's been a long week." You respond sheepishly.  
"Long month too.." Tendo agrees and you both look at eachother.  
"Should we just mark the year as long?" You tilt your head.  
"Yeah. It's gonna be a long one." Tendo nods.  
"Ah. I see." Komori chuckles with a nod.  
"Still it's good to see you. Wasn't expecting to see a familiar face." You tell him.  
"You too. Iizuna-senpai won the trip in a raffle. So he brought me along." He tells you.  
"Eh? Lucky." You chuckle.  
"For once." Iizuna laughs lightly. "I didn't know they had a murder train here until I won that. But I checked it out and found that this one is actually shown on live television." He says with a smile.  
'Awe… He's adorable…' You blink at him.   
"Live tv you say?" Tendo blinks and you pause and look at eachother. "Did you know about that, Paradise?"   
"No. I should have guessed though with the prizes… Wonder if Nishinoya knew." You murmur, bringing the knuckle of your left index to your chin in wonder. Iizuna blinks at your hand before smiling.  
"So you're here on a date with your fiance then?" He guesses. You blink at him in confusion and Tendo straightens with a small blush, eyes wide before he grins happily.  
"Ah… You're wrong but I do like that…" Tendo chuckles sheepishly. "I asked ___ to wear our promise ring on that finger for our date today…." He informs lightly.  
"I see… That's really cute actually. Good for you." Iizuna smiles. "Is it okay if I still refer to you as that?"   
"... I like this guy." Tendo grins to you. He seemed incredibly happy about the situation, so you couldn't help but smile thoughtfully.   
"Yeah. He seems cool." You hum before looking over as more people join.   
"Hey! ___!" A young blonde woman waves coming up with a blond guy. You blink at her, tilting your head.  
"Ah! You must Saeko nee-chan!" You gasp.  
"That's right." The woman grins.   
"Tendo. This is Ryuu's big sis." You tell him happily.  
"Really? Couldn't tell. Nice to meet you." Tendo gives a nod.  
"I'm Akiteru Tsukishima. It's nice to meet you ___.” The blond guy with her gives a smile. "Thanks for watching out for my little brother back on the island." He rumbles as you gap at him.  
"It's nice to meet you too!" You give a bow.   
"Um… Hello." A girl with short black hair waves to the group.  
"Hey! It's Kanoka! How ya been?" Saeko greets enthusiastically.  
"I'm good… How have you been Saeko nee-chan?" Kanoka responds, playing with her hair.   
A few more guys soon join up, Akagi, Udai, and Mami. There was still ten more minutes before the train arrived so everyone mingled and chatted.   
"You did well in the tournament." Udai comments to you thoughtfully.   
"Oh. Thanks Mr. Udai. But I could've done better." You breathe sheepishly.   
"I believe it… So what are your thoughts on internship? Got any agencies you would like to study at?" He inquires curiously.   
"Um I don't know… Weren't a bunch just attacked?" You tilt your head.  
"The ones linked HQ were. They don't take in interns anyway. I'm from the Little Giant agency." He points to himself.   
"Ohh. I remember that Hero. Don't you ___?" Tendo beams.  
"Yeah. He's the one that threw a villain into our picnic when we were little." You nod.   
"Oh that's right, you were so grumpy over it. You were puffing your cheeks out like an angry hamster." Tendo chuckles.  
"Of course I was. That took me all morning." You grumble.  
"... I'm so sorry…" Udai gives you both a guilty bow. You both blink at him in confusion. "That… was me…" He says straightening up.   
"Oh." You breathe before you and Tendo blink in shock.  
"Eh? Really?" Tendo breathes in surprise before you both look at each other.  
"We're very sorry." You tell him in unison.   
"There's a lot of apologizing going on here…" Saeko comments, coming back over with Akiteru and Kanoka.  
"Heh. Alright. Let's take a step back." You straighten up. "I wasn't mad at you. The situation was just unfortunate."  
"Yes. But I used to be very reckless and didn't mind my surroundings so it was my fault." He frowns.  
"Then I forgive you. So we're good." You give a thumbs up.  
"... I am so confused." Saeko breathes.   
"Don't worry about it. We're good." Udai gives a thumbs up to you as he responds to her.  
"I see the train." Akagi points making everyone look over.   
"An old fashioned passenger train…" Tendo tilts his head.   
"No wonder they need their own tracks for this." You mutter. The train squeals to a stop and the conductor hops off with a clipboard, checking everyone over before checking the papers.   
"Good. Looks like everyone is here. Here are the keys to your rooms. Go change to start the game." He passes everyone a key. "Board there." He adds pointing before heading back to the front of the train.   
"Alright." Udai goes to the door and opens it. "Right this way I guess." He holds the door open to let everyone in. You move down the walkway to the door with a matching number to your key. You unlock it and pause as Tendo kisses your cheek.  
"See you soon love." He smiles before going into his room. You smile after him before going into your room and locking the door. A wardrobe sits against the wall and you open it to find some classic 1920's attire. You blink at the drawer below as it pops open. You take up the envelope and open it, a hologram disc pops out and you catch it.  
'Welcome ___! You're the murderer for round one! I'm your Host! Uzu! In the drawer you'll find your first weapon, and eye contacts. The eye contacts will show you things that you can use to help you succeed. They'll deactivate when you're no longer the murderer. Please try to refrain from destroying things during your reign of horror. Also. There's a timer and indicator that you'll see for a mail drop. You can grab those to find more useful items. But be warned, amongst the passengers is a detective. They carry a gun to stop you. And if the passengers find your identity. It'll be game over.' The small holographic host says cheerfully.  
"Alright… The prize?" You ask lightly.  
'The first prize for the first game is an all expense paid island resort vacation!' The hologram shows you images and you smile.   
"Noya would like that…" You murmur and straighten. Actually any of the guys would like that. "I wonder if I can win it for one of them…" You blink. 'Though why am I the murderer right away?' You frown lightly.  
'Meet the rest in the food cart when you're ready!' The host chimes before the hologram shuts off.  
You nod and decide to dress in whatever would be more efficient for your role. 'So I gotta take out everyone…' You think it over before smiling. "Hope you're ready Midnight." You smirk tossing up the dagger.  
After you get ready, you shut everything and head out, walking into Tendo. "Awe. You look nice in that." He peers over your attire.   
"You too." You hum. He wore mostly black, slacks, button up shirt, and black trench coat and a purple tie.   
"Thank you, Paradise." He beams at the compliment and takes your hand. "Let's go, the dining cart is this way. The contacts you had put in start to highlight things as you walk through the cart with Tendo. He opens the door to the next cart and you step over the gap, peering at the connector that was also highlighted.   
'So I can disconnect the carts…' You note as you both continue through another cart.   
When you reach the dining cart, you take a seat next to Tendo at a long table, peering over the others that were all gathering at the table.   
"Welcome everyone! Please have a seat, your food will be delivered shortly." Uzu greets everyone, appearing in a hologram at the end of the table. "Just so you know, you may begin at anytime. There are hints throughout the train to find the killer. So do your best to survive until all pieces are found." He then snaps his fingers and small portals appear above the table, lowering the plates of food in front of everyone.  
"Now that's a nice quirk." You comment.  
"Mm it's alright." Tendo pokes at the food before taking a bite. "Not bad."   
"So ___, how is Ryuu?" Saeko inquires happily as everyone starts to eat.  
"Awesome as always. He's really looking more like a dragon whenever I see him fight now." You respond with a smile.  
"Hm? A dragon quirk?" Udai hums.  
"Yeah. Runs in the family. I think Ryuu will be able to take the quirk to new heights." Saeko grins. "My adorable little bro~"   
"Aww." Tendo chuckles.   
"How about Sakusa?" Komori asks you lightly.  
"He's good." You grin.  
"More than good, he's doing great. Never seen that guy so at ease." Tendo rumbles nudging you.   
"Yeah. Raizu is amazing." You nod thoughtfully.   
"I don't think that's it. But the school really has changed a few people." Tendo breathes. You nod and peer about, your eyes locking on a highlighted switch behind Komori.   
'To turn off lights blink twice.' A text pops up.   
'Ah. So that should give me an opening to kill… But who…' Your eyes wander before landing on Udai briefly. 'Yeah. It has to be the Little Giant first if I want to win.'

"Hey guys. Can I cast to the TV? Murder Train is about to come on." Nishinoya says coming in.  
"Murder Train? Like where ___ took Tendo?" Ryuu asks.  
"Mhm. It's a series on the Tubez. It's getting pretty popular and they should be showing today's contestants right now." Nishinoya smiles. The guys pause.  
"Hurry! Put it on!" Oikawa and Atsumu gasp together, Oikawa falling over the back of the couch.  
"I'll make some popcorn." Osamu says hurrying to the kitchen.  
"So you guys wanna make bets on the killers or will that show?" Kuroo asks.  
"They show the killers once they get started." Nishinoya says casting to the television.  
"Looks like they're having dinner." Ushijima comments.  
"___ looks so hot in those clothes!" Oikawa gasps.   
"Nice." Atsumu nods in agreement.   
"... That food looks good." Bokuto breathes.   
"They're talking. Turn up the volume a bit." Kiyoomi requests. Nishinoya does so and they catch the last of your conversation with Komori.   
"Looks like no one is dead yet." Nishinoya hums.  
"There's my sis." Ryuu points.   
"Lights are off." Atsumu breathes and everyone leans forward curiously before they come on again.   
"Ah! That guy is down!" Bokuto points.   
"Seems familiar…" Daichi breathes.  
"Isn't that the Little Giant?" Sugawara breathes.   
"Oh man. I can tell this is going to be a great round." Nishinoya chuckles excitedly.


	68. *Halloween Extra*

You blink as you're lead into the large room, it was decorated in various Halloween themed ornaments and decorations.   
"Finally! You're here! Ready to see everyone's costumes?" Tendo chimes, bounding over to give you a cheerful hug.  
"Wait. Shouldn't ___ get on a costume?" Daichi comments.  
"Oh! Dress up as an owl with me Babe! Couples costume!" Bokuto gushes hugging you happily.  
"No. ___ should dress up as an angel!" Oikawa gasps.  
"A fox!" Atsumu speaks up.  
"Onigiri!" Osamu shouts. Everyone pauses to blink at him.  
"No, that won't do ___ already looks tasty." Oikawa shakes his head making you blush.  
"The hell did you just say?" Daishou huffs, stepping beside you. "And you're all wrong a serpent ruler is way more suiting." Daishou sends you a wink.   
"Oi! You get lost! You weren't even supposed to be a love interest!" Atsumu points.  
"Shhh Tsumu. The wall…." Osamu whispers.  
"Yeah. I was even supposed to be a bad guy. Glad that changed." Daishou smiles.  
"Make them stop." Sugawara breathes.  
"Could you please stick to the script." Kita tells them.   
"... Anyway. How about you dress up as a cute little devil with me?" Tendo murmurs, tipping your chin.   
"Nope. We should put ___ in a hazard suit." Kiyoomi pulls you back. "Since all of you are so determined to put germs on 'em." He adds as you look at him and stiffen.  
"What kinda costume is that!?" Astumu gasps at him.   
"Plague doctor." Kiyoomi answers.  
"... Scary…" Osamu mutters.  
"Wait. We're not putting ___ in some stuffy hazard suit." Iwaizumi speaks up.  
"Yeah! Halloween is supposed to be when you can dress sexy!" Rakurai chimes, making them freeze.  
"Relax lads. This is an extra. We can join in on the festivities too." A reaper rumbles.  
"Really Death? A reaper?" Atsumu huffs.  
"I'm kinda concerned now. You okay Kobalt?" Tendo blinks.  
"He's wearing the skull mask to hide his smile." Rakurai assures. "Apparently we're quite popular villains~"   
"And there goes the wall again…" Daichi sighs.  
"Awww is Death embarrassed?" Tendo teases.  
"Sh-Shut it lad!" The reaper snaps before shifting and looking down. "I-I just ain't used to it. I ain't done nothing for it…"  
"Aww…" You chuckle going over and hugging him. "You evil marshmallow."  
"... It was sweet til ya said that. Now get off me." He grumbles.   
"Alright! Let's all go dress up too!" Tendo chimes heading off.   
"Come on ___! Let's go." Nishinoya tugs your hand toward the changing rooms, giving a grin.   
"What are you dressing as Noya?" You ask him.  
"Me? I'm going to be a werewolf. You decide on yours yet?" He adds.  
"Mmm not yet." You admit.   
"I'm sure you'll find something that suits you." He rumbles. He then tilts his head and looks to the side briefly. "So. Wanna go on a date with me sometime?"  
"Hm? You want to?" You blink.  
"Yeah. But it's up to you." He smiles.   
You go into a changing room, deciding on a devil costume (thanks poll) before heading out to the halloween party to see everyone's costumes.   
The twins decided on The Shining twins gag costume, making you and a few others laugh. "Told ya they would laugh, Samu." Atsumu beams.  
"... I hate you…" Osamu frowns.   
Daishou had decided on a villain get up, sending you a wink and tongue flick.  
"___! You're a sexy devil!" Mika giggles, greeting you in a kitten costume.  
"Oh god you got more adorable…" You breathe.  
"Hehe look at Noya. He picked a cop costume." She points.  
"How adorably suiting." You hum as he comes over. "I thought you were going for werewolf though?"  
"Last minute decision. You're a cute devil." He beams. "Ryuu went with zombie." He points.  
"Asahi's supposed to be Sam from Supernatural but he's hiding in the corner." Ryuu murmurs to you guys, pointing.   
"I'll get him." Noya says going over.  
"Sugawara's a vampire." Mika gasps.  
"Aw he looks adorable." You nod.   
"___! You picked a devil! That makes me so happy?" Tendo chimes hugging you from behind happily. You blink and turn to him, blinking at his costume. His rigid horns were different sizes, skin purplish with black smudges here and there, his red eyes glow slightly.  
"Oi! No fair! Why do you get the realistic costume!?" Atsumu gasps.  
"Mmm… Cause I'm the writer's favorite?" He puts his hands behind his and leaning to the side.  
"Here we go again." Oikawa steps beside you dressed like a prince.  
"Bullshit! I got a story for me too!" Atsumu objects.  
"Mine's cooler." Tendo smirks.  
"If I may interject. Burst was originally supposed to be about me." Kiyoomi states.  
"And it was supposed to be ten parts." Tendo adds. "Things just didn't work out that way."  
"What a travesty…" Iwaizumi mutters, rubbing behind a werewolf ear that he wore.   
"Alright. The next one to break the wall gets shanked." Akaashi warns wearing a prisoner's jumper and broken handcuffs.  
"We're sorry." They respond.  
"Thanks Akaashi." Kita hums wearing a fox God costume.  
"Both of you look amazing." You gasp making them smile.   
"You do too." Akaashi winks.  
"Can we get this started already, I want to sleep." Suna hums hugging a pillow wearing old time pajamas.  
"I want to bob for apples!" Bokuto beams, wearing a Batman costume.   
"Come on Kenma, the party's about to begin." Kuroo rumbles leading Kenma in. Kuroo had an Egyptian pharaoh costume. Kenma wearing a cat costume.  
"Cat comrade!" Mika bounds over to him, surprising the blond.   
"I'm a sun!" Hinata rushes by, knocking over a ghoul Kageyama.   
"Boke! Hinata boke!"   
"I will bob the most apples." Levi declares wearing a spiderman suit.  
"Hey ___. I brought some sweets for you." Yaku hums coming over and offering you a pumpkin bucket. He gives a fanged smile.  
"Awe you're so sweet Yaku."   
"Party time!" Oikawa turns up the creepy party music and everyone starts to mingle.   
Ushijima decided to dress as Zeus, carrying around a cardboard lightning bolt which he would occasionally use to tap people on the shoulder and play innocent.  
Tendo hums, often pulling you in to dance with him. Kiyoomi stayed in the corner for most of the party.   
"Having fun?" A hum sounds near your ear, making you jump and look over to find a girl in a janitor outfit, leaning on a broom.  
"Ah… Yes?" You blink, tilting your head.   
"Good. You should tell them it's time to leave soon. Something is coming." She smiles.  
"Ah. Okay. Who are you…?"   
"We'll meet soon enough… Maybe." She peers about as the lights start to flicker. "Happy Halloween." She hums as you glance at the lights.   
"Happy Hallo-" You look back over to find her gone.  
"Hm? Who are you talking to?" Kiyoko asks, sporting an angel costume.   
"Ah… I…" The lights go out and the building shudders. Asahi cries out, clinging to you blindly.  
"Calm down. I'm sure it's nothing." Nishinoya chuckles fearlessly. When the lights come back on you looking around in confusion. Asahi squeaks out with a point making you look up at the wall near the ceiling. A fleshy grey figure sits on the wall, mouth opening up as rows of teeth show themselves.   
"What the hell is that!?" Atsumu gasps.   
"We need to leave!" You gasp to them.  
"Exit's open!" Kiyoomi shouts, already at the doors. You swiftly push Asahi towards the door as the others rush out. You're the last out as you make sure the others were out.   
Stopping to close the door when the creature leaps at you. "Shit." But something stabs through the side of it's head, stopping it and slinging it away.   
"Don't worry. This isn't your story." The girl from earlier puts a hand on the door knob, sending you a smile. "See you later." She hums before closing the door as a monstrous howl sounds from the building.  
Daishou and Tendo warily pull you back. "So…. How about we finish the night with trick or treat?" Kuroo hums.   
"Whoever gets the most candy gets to have ___ sleep in their room!" Mika calls.   
"Like hell I'm losing that one!" Iwaizumi gasps as the others suddenly take off running for a neighborhood.  
"Eh?" You blink back "Wait! What if I win!?" You call chasing after them. Tendo and Kiyoomi linger behind.  
"Think I'll just go to the store and buy a few bags." Tendo hums.  
"I'll go with you. This mask is stuffy without rushing about." Kiyoomi breathes, removing the plague mask as they start walking.  
"By the way did you see that awesome raptor costume?"   
"Yeah that was cool. The s'mores that hung out next to him made me hungry though…"  
"We should bring food back to the dorm or they're going to eat candy all night and get sick."   
"They better not. I'll lock them all out… Except for ___."  
"Of course. Of course. That devil costume looked really good though."  
"It did. Your costume is nice too."  
"Thank you. But yours was way scarier."  
"... Think I could scare Atsumu?"  
"I think you could torment him actually."  
"... Even better. I think it'll be worth losing a few nights of sleep."  
"Oh! Could I be your cameraman?"  
"Sounds like a partnership."


	69. Murder Time (1/2)

You swallow and get up as everyone stands up suddenly in alarm at sight of the hilt of the dagger in Udai's chest.   
"What!? Right in front of everyone!" Saeko gasps.   
"That was gutsy. But now we have the killer's weapon." Akiteru breathes, reaching to grab it but Saeko swiftly catches his arm.   
"Don't touch it." She shakes her head.  
"Alright. Let's leave it as bait." Tendo decides. "Two will stay here and the rest will start looking for the clues. Sound good?"  
"Yes… Who's staying?" Iizuna inquires.  
"I'll stay." Mami says.   
"I'll stay too." You hum. They nod before heading to different carts. There was a drop coming in a minute. "So that sucks for the killer huh?" You comment, looking at the dagger.  
"Yeah. Still, not a bad move taking out a hero like that though…"   
"Mhm. Kinda stuffy in here though." You hum going over and opening a window leaning out and catching the bag as it hangs from the mail drop.   
"Um. Are you okay?" He asks. The blinds on the other windows had kept him from seeing the bag. You open the bag, pulling out another dagger and smirking.  
"I'm fine." You straighten up and turn about slashing through his neck. There is a red light that flickers from the strike before he falls over unconscious. You sheath the dagger, stashing the bag under a seat before dragging Mami into a chair and propping him up so it looked like he fell asleep. You peer at the other dagger, deciding to keep it there before starting toward the following the carts. 

~

"... Oh. Didn't see that coming." Osamu blinks at the screen.   
"Damn. Thought it would be Tendo." Atsumu murmurs.  
"He took the lead though…. Maybe he's the detective." Iwaizumi murmurs.  
"... I don't know how to feel about what's going on." Bokuto breathes.  
"Get them babe." Akaashi breathes, seeming oddly excited. The others send him odd looks. He coughs slightly and looks away. "I-I mean… Scary."  
"If anyone is scary here it's you." Kuroo mutters, messaging Daishou. "I'm telling their boss."  
"Shhh this is going to be awesome!" Nishinoya beams.

~  
"Yes!!! Let's go!" Rakurai bounces excitedly watching the television and biting into a wire, eyes flickering with lightning. "Yessss." Death peers at him warily before taking the wire from him carefully.  
".... Think that's enough electricity for ya for one day lad." He says when Rakurai gives him a heart broken look. "No. I ain't falling for those puppy dog eyes so put em up."   
".... Please Death-san?" Rakurai pouts, quivering his bottom lip. Death looks away with a scowl.   
"... Yer gonna be the prince of hell some day I just know it." He grumbles, handing it over.   
"You're such a pushover." Rakurai chuckles, leaning on him.   
"Shut it. ___ is meeting some of the others." 

~

"Any luck on this end?" You ask, finding Saeko in the aisle between some small rooms.   
"Oh. Yeah we're searching the rooms right now. Thought you were guarding with uh… Mohawk guy?" She hums.  
"Yeah. Komori came back to take the spot so I can help search…" You reply, peering about.  
"That's… Kinda weird. Should we check on them?" She asks.  
"I'm sure they're fine." You wave your hand as she leads you into one of the sitting rooms for VIPs.   
"I hope so… let's see…" She starts to dig through a suitcase and peer over at the door, listening carefully before reaching around Saeko to help her.   
"Hm? What's this? A piece of an I.D?" You comment, pulling it out.  
"That must be part of the puzzle. It's someone's eye… Wait." She glances at yours and you watch her face pale.  
"That's rotten luck." You smile, dagger piercing between her ribs with a red flicker of light before Saeko falls unconscious. You pick her up, moving her onto the seat and covering her up before turning to go out. Kanoka appears in front of the doorway and blinks at you in surprise.   
"Oh. ___, what are you doing here?" She asks before pausing as she notices Saeko. "Hm? Saeko nee-chan?"  
"She's just tired and wanted to nap." You lie lightly. She blinks at you, a quivering smile on her lips.  
"That's not true. Is it?" She manages as you step forward.  
"Nope." You breathe, suddenly lunging, burying the dagger into her stomach. She falls back and you catch her, pausing and looking to either side as Akagi, and Akiteru freeze in shock. Akagi suddenly turns to run to the front of the car but you throw the dagger, nailing him between the shoulders and making him go down. You swiftly rush over, grabbing the dagger and spinning about, throwing it after Akiteru. He instinctively dives into a room, dodging it.   
He slams the door shut as you quickly move to collect the knife. You listen against the door as he shuffles through things, cursing quietly in a panic. You take a step back and peer about, a red switch catching your eye.   
'To unlock doors press this.' The words only you can see glimmer. You reach up and press it, hearing a click in response. Akiteru freezes in horror as you open the door.  
"Sorry. But I'm winning this game." You breathe, stepping forward and shoving the dagger into his chest. The red light glimmers and he sinks down to the floor as you back up to the door, stepping over Kanoka and Akagi as you make your way to the front of the car. You stop, hearing a puddle under your foot. You glance down at the blood before looking over your shoulder to find the hall splattered with blood and decorated with strings of flesh.   
Closing your eyes briefly you turn to look ahead, trying to push down the slight wave of nausea. "This is fine." You murmur before opening your eyes and moving on, crossing into the dining cart and taking your other dagger from Udai's chest as you pass.   
You glance down as you cross to the next cart, stopping and kneeling down at the link, carefully disconnecting the carts before standing as the rest of the carts steadily slow as the gap between you and them grows.   
"That's fine." You mutter before going into the next cart. No one seemed to be in this one. 'Three left… Tendo, Iizuna, and Komori… they're probably grouped up." You think to yourself, searching the rooms before moving to the next cart. You could hear them on this one, approaching a room and peering in as Tendo goes through a suitcase, the other two searching the wardrobe and a box which had probably been under the bed.   
"Hey guys, any luck?" You ask lightly.   
"Oh Hey. I thought you were guarding with Mami?" Komori hums.  
"Saeko found a piece of the puzzle and brought it to the dining cart, she sent me to see if you guys found any pieces." You respond.  
"Yeah. We found one. Komori will go with you to deliver it." Tendo says as he peers at you.   
"Aw… But I miss you." You pout lightly, looking down. He pauses, blinking in surprise.  
"I miss you too, paradise. So come back to me soon." He says softly. You nod and Komori heads for the back of the train with you. Tendo blinks at the door before looking back in the suitcase. "If either of them return alone then they're the killer." He states to Iizuna, making the other blink in surprise.  
You glance back as you and Komori move to the next cart. 'Eh. This'll do.' You think before watching Komori's back as he falters for a brief second. He noticed that the following cart was no longer there. 'What will you do little weasel?' You think as he opens the door.  
"Oh… That's…" He suddenly moves and you turn around and run to the other end as he jumps onto the roof of the train. You burst through the door and jump up, flipping onto the roof and standing up as the weasel slides to a stop a few feet away.   
"Sorry Komori. I can't let you warn them." You smile. He leaves the weasel form, little rounded ears flickering uneasily.  
"I had a feeling it was you." He glances about as you step forward.   
"It's dangerous here Komori. Let's go back inside." You suggest, taking another step forward. He swallows, meeting your gaze.  
"Sorry. But… I wanna repay Iizuna-san!" He manages suddenly diving at you, changing form. The small creature climbs up your chest and leaps off your shoulder. You blink out of your surprise and swiftly turn, catching the creature by the scruff of his neck. He changes back as you hop down with him, mouth opening to shout out but swiftly silence him as the dagger slices his throat.   
With a relieved sigh, you pull him back into the cart and leave him propped up against the wall. "Too damn close." You mutter before going back out and crossing to the next one. Tendo and Iizuna leave the room they had been in and move to search the next. Iizuna pauses and looks back as you approach. His eyes widen slightly, and you feel your time running out.   
So you lunge forward, drawing the daggers as your eyes lock on Tendo. He suddenly turns about, pointing a gun at you and firing. You had felt the buzz in your shoulder before you dodged the bullet, bringing forward a dagger to attack. Iizuna collides into your side, both of you crashing into a room. You bury a dagger into his back as Tendo swiftly shuts the door to keep you in.   
"... Tendo?" You say to the door as you get up. "Sweetie. Let me out." You breathe, trying to open the door. "Dearest. Don't lock me in here." You tell him, searching about for another button, finding none.  
"Just give me ten seconds my paradise. I'll finish this soon." Tendo responds lightly.   
'Does the gun have a cool down? I need to hurry.' You look at the window and open it, getting out and quickly moving onto the roof. He probably heard. 'If there's a cool down I just need to dodge the next bullet too.' You think, jumping down and opening the door. He aims the gun as you throw a dagger. The bullet and dagger collide, and you rush forward, readying the other dagger. He swallows as your eyes lock with his. He swiftly kicks you back, hand smacking your arm away at the same time.   
A smirk forms on your lips as you flip back. 'Your Midnight is showing.' You think as he swiftly makes a move for the fuel cart. You chase after him, following him into the hot cart with lingering coal smoke around you both. He turns to you, aiming the gun. You pivot as he fires, grabbing his wrist and aiming for his heart with the dagger. He catches your wrist in time, both of you struggling for the upper hand. You press him against the wall, making him grit his teeth.   
"Ah… You are too damn strong." He growls, before pausing as your chest presses against his. You smile lightly, leaning up and sliding your tongue over his bottom lip, making him shiver before you kiss him deeply, forcing your arm forward, dagger going into his chest. You pull back as he slumps and slides down to the floor. You huff and sit beside him, head resting on his shoulder.   
"Fighting without your quirk must be such a pain in the neck." You mutter as the contact lenses light up, congratulating you for winning. 

*

The dorm was in a shocked silence as the commercial started. "... Is it bad if I am insanely jealous of Tendo right now?" Oikawa asks in confusion.  
"Nope. I think that's how I would want to die." Atsumu folds his arms and tilts his head. "A hot kiss from ___ as they bury a dagger into my chest just seems nice.  
"I think I would prefer a fiery explosion myself…" Akaashi hums, receiving some uneasy looks.   
"Maybe. I don't think I would want ___ to be the cause of my death. But I would like a kiss goodbye." Bokuto says.  
"Oh yeah. That was nice too. I felt really warm when that happened to me." Atsumu smiles.  
"I forgot about that." Kuroo blinks. "It's been a few months now huh?"  
"Yeah. I still have nightmares though." Osamu admits.   
"Sorry Samu. But that's in the past now. We're all still here." Atsumu reminds him.  
"... I'm lost. When did Atsumu die?" Ushijima asks.  
"It was a while back. You remember that explosion at Inari? It was that day… Think when Tendo was in that accident. A group of us lived that day twice." Nishinoya tries to explain.  
"Twice?" Ushijima tilts his head.  
"Yeah. When Midnight was with Bloody Horizon. They attacked Inari. That big guy they had killed Oikawa, and Atsumu… Killed ___ too, but they were able to burst him at the same time." Kuroo tells him, the group that had gone, drop their gazes at the memory. "But… Midnight reset the day and they were all saved."  
"Burst…" Ushijima murmurs eyes widening slightly, face paling as he seems to watch something in the distance.  
"Hm? You okay Ushijima?" Asahi asks carefully in concern. Ushijima blinks back and stands.  
"I-I'm fine. Going to lay down…" He breathes, starting for the door but stumbling and collapsing.   
"Ushijima!" Daichi and the others rush to him.   
"Is he hurt? What's wrong?" Sugawara asks.  
"He's heating up. I think he's caught a fever." Kiyoko states.   
"Let's get him to the warm." Atsumu says as Bokuto helps pick him up. Oikawa watches them carry him out, a few others following in concern.   
"That's weird… He seemed fine when he came in." Oikawa murmurs.  
"Guess guys like him can get sick too." Iwaizumi comments. Oikawa hums in response, eyes narrowing slightly. 

*

Tendo shifts, making you open your eyes and check on him as he peers about in a daze before looking at you.   
"... If you ever kill me for real, can it be just like that?" He asks.  
"You really liked that huh? Masochist." You tease, getting up. He blushes lightly at that, sending you a huff.  
"Of course I did. That was really pleasant aside from the situation." He says getting up. "But that was intense." He mutters as you lead him to the previous car. The other cars were coming back to rejoin since the train had come to a stop after your win.   
Komori was helping Iizuna up as you both enter. Iizuna blinks at you and straightens.  
"You scared the hell out of me at the end there!" He gasps.  
"Sorry Iizuna. Komori." You smile sheepishly.  
"That's fine. But you know. Seeing those other cars gone made my heart drop." He chuckles.  
"You disconnected them? Did you kill the others?" Tendo asks curiously.  
"Yeah. But it was the first game so it was pretty easy." You say opening the door as the other cars near. Udai opens the door of the other car. He gives you scowl, hopping across the gap to land in front of you.  
"You killed me first…? I didn't even get to play." He grumbles.  
"Sorry. Having you alive just seemed like a real nuisance to me…" You apologize.  
"... It's because I'm such an awesome hero right?" He suddenly beams. "You're a smart killer."   
They link the cars and everyone moves into the dining cart as the employees rush about to ready for the next game.  
"Well… If I didn't have trust issues before. I do now." Mami comments.   
"Right? I should've known something was up. You're so sneaky ___!" Saeko gasps.   
"Not really. Kanoka caught me after I killed you." You respond.  
"Yeah but you killed me." Kanoka objects.  
"And then me." Akagi and Akiteru say together.  
"So fast. I barely had time to register it." Akagi frowns.   
"I internally screamed when it happened." Akiteru confesses.   
"I'm excited to be the murderer now. I'm going to get you back ___.” Udai rumbles.  
"Ah… Come on now. I'm sorry for traumatizing you guys." You protest.  
"But that first kill was pretty good. I think I would go after the pro hero too before he can sniff me out." Saeko hums.   
"Aw. Come on. Let me play guys." Udai pouts, making them chuckle lightly.  
Before long the games continue for the next few hours. Unfortunately you don't get to be the murderer again. And you die a few times. However with you and Tendo innocent, you both manage to win with the other passengers at least twice.   
"Ah it's getting so late." You comment to Tendo as you both wait in the caboose. Udai had killed you both this game and disconnected the cart, so now you waited for the game to end to be reconnected.  
"Been six hours since we started…" He yawns.  
"Really? Doesn't feel like it." You blink in surprise.  
"Mhm. But we are having fun. Right my paradise?" He leans on you.   
"Right." You smile and he hugs you warmly, kissing you deeply.   
"What a wonderful day. And it's all thanks to you." He says softly.  
"I'm happy you're enjoying yourself." You murmur.  
"Mm…. I want you to be the killer again though. It was so exciting when we faced off." He whispers.   
"Hehe. I'm hoping soon." You breathe.   
'The Killer has won the game. Please stand by as we reconnect the cars.' A voice sounds over a hidden speaker. Tendo gets up, helping you to your feet.   
"They'll probably feed us now my love." He cups your cheek.  
"Mm food." You lick your lips. He glances at your lips before kissing your forehead.   
"Ah… You're so tempting my dear. Let's go." He hums, taking your hand as the cars are connected again, leading you to the dining cart.  
Udai snickers as you enter, locking gazes with you. "You're an awful hero! Third game where you killed my first!" You point at him.   
"Taste my vengeance ___!” He laughs.   
"You two are getting along so well." Saeko comments.   
"How? He keeps killing me!" You gasp.  
"Don't act like you wouldn't kill me first again." Udai hums   
"I wasn't going to but you're on the top of my list now buddy." You growl.   
"So ___, who's the scariest killer now that you've died to all of us?" Mami asks.  
"Iizuna." You respond simply.   
"Eh? But I was quick." Iizuna pouts.   
"That's the problem." Kanoka speaks up.  
"Yeah. You just said 'Hi!' and then I died! You're ruthless." You complain. He gaps looking hurt.  
"But I thought it would be scarier for you guys if I drew it out." He defends.  
"... You might be right. But everytime you pop up now I just instinctively want to run." You tell him.  
"I thought I was pretty fast. But you guys always catch me." Komori grumbles as the food is set down on the table.   
Uzu appears in a hologram above the table. "Good games everyone! Now I have a special announcement for you. And if you all accept. Tonight you'll be our first guests at the Murder Hotel! It'll also premiere tonight. But with such a big building we'll need to double up. And yes that means guests and another killer. So. What do you say?"  
"... Hell yeah." You and the others gasp excitedly.  
"Good. We'll give you all a piece of paper. Write down two names and their addresses. We'll bring them in to play as well." He snaps his fingers and the papers appear at the center of the table. "Enjoy your meal in the meantime." He chimes before disappearing.   
"Hmmm…" You blink at the paper. "... Kinda want to bring in Daishou and Mika."   
"Like a double date? Sounds fun… I think I'll bring Shirabu and… Ushijima in…?" Tendo tilts his head. "Ah but they said doubling up so they'll probably only bring in one from the two we pick… So… You put Daishou and Ushijima, then I'll put Mika and Shirabu and see which ones we get." He nods.  
"Okay. Sounds good." You smile as everyone fills out the papers before eating.  
The next half was bound to be fun.


	70. Unsettling

"Hm? A premier for Murder Hotel?" Nishinoya tilts his head. "Anyone wanna stay up to watch?"  
"Of course." Akaashi rumbles.  
"Me too." Bokuto and a few others chime in as Osamu comes in.  
"How is he?" Atsumu inquires.  
"Kind of a high fever but Aone is helping keep it down. He doesn't look well though." Osamu answers with a small frown.   
"So odd…" Kuroo frowns.   
"We'll just have to keep an eye on him, if it gets any worse, we'll take him to the hospital." Iwaizumi says.  
"Can't you help him Kiyoko?" Ryuu asks.  
"I can't help boost the immune system." She responds with a shake of her head.   
"I'm sure he'll be fine! He's a strong guy." Nishinoya assures.  
"Noya's right." Asahi agrees.   
"Yeah. Let's just watch ___ and Tendo on the tv." Sugawara hums.   
"It is pretty interesting. Out of everyone on there, those two seem to be the most natural at the game." Futakuchi comments. Atsumu peers at him before leaning forward and watching the television as it gives a recap, eyes narrowing slightly.  
"You okay Tsumu?" Osamu asks.  
"Yeah. I'm just going to take a walk." Atsumu assures, getting up and starting out. He pauses as he opens the door to find a familiar man with a paper.  
"Hello. I'm looking for a Kiyoomi Sakusa." The man smiles. Atsumu blinks a few times.  
"Hey Cactus. Uzu is looking for ya." He calls over his shoulder.  
"... Uzu?" Kiyoomi pokes his head into the lobby.  
"Yes. I'm also here for a Wakatoshi Ushijima." Uzu informs.  
"Ah. Ushijima has come down with a fever. But how may I help you?" Kiyoomi inquires.  
"You've been chosen to come along to participate in the Murder Hotel by a friend or loved one. Do you accept?"  
Kiyoomi's eyes light up a bit at that. "Yes."  
"Ah. Damn you." Atsumu hums. Kiyoomi blinks and looks at him for his lax comment.   
"If you're feeling unwell too, then go to bed, vermin." Kiyoomi tells him lightly.  
"I'm fine. You go have fun with your beloved." Atsumu waves before walking out. Kiyoomi blinks after him, brows furrowing as he shifts slightly.  
"Be careful." He calls after the blond feebly.  
"If you're done we really must go." Uzu snaps his fingers, opening a portal.   
"Right." 

*

"Whoa! Look at that place! Is that the hotel?" Saeko gasps as everyone gathers at the windows.   
"Looks like they're constructing a town area." You comment.  
"Ah… The game is going to keep expanding… How fun." Tendo smiles.   
"It's pretty awesome we'll be the first ones to try out the new one." Akagi rumbles.   
"So we'll be spending the night there? In separate rooms?" You tilt your head.  
'Only the ones that got the couple's package will be sharing rooms.' Uzu responds.  
"Oh good." You smile and peer at Tendo as he grins.   
"Awwe. Best date ever." He rumbles.  
After ten more minutes, the train comes to a stop at a small station near the hotel. Everyone files out, chatting excitedly amongst themselves.  
Tendo suddenly stops with a shudder, making you stop and look at him, touching his arm in concern. "Sorry. Just had a chill go down my spine." He smiles.   
"Doesn't that usually mean someone you know is plotting against you?" You blink.  
"Ah. Don't make me uneasy, love…." He pouts lightly.   
"Sorry." You chuckle before tugging him along into the hotel lobby. You look ahead and stop, spotting a few familiar faces.  
"Hey partner." Daishou smiles coming over and pecking your cheek in greeting.   
"Daishou. I'm happy to see you… Hey Kiyoomi. You came too?" You blink in surprise at the other.  
"Yeah, I wrote him down, I thought it would make things interesting." Komori rumbles.   
"We've been watching at the dorm. You looked like you were having a lot of fun." Kiyoomi rumbles lightly.   
"Heh. It has been a lot of fun." You nod thoughtfully. "You guys are about to find out."  
"What exactly is going on?" Shirabu asks, joining the group.  
"It's a murder mystery type thing. If you're the killer, you kill. If you're a guest, you look for clues to find the killer before you get killed. And if you're a detective, you kill the Killer." Tendo tells him simply. "Guess Wakatoshi and Mika couldn't come." He adds to you.  
"Mika is visiting family in Neko." Daishou hums. "I messaged her to watch. Too bad she couldn't come."  
"Ushijima caught a sudden fever not long before I left." Kiyoomi adds.  
"That's rotten luck. Did something happen to cause it?" Daishou asks.  
"We were talking about the Inari incident during a commercial. He said he was going to get some rest and suddenly collapsed." Kiyoomi answers.  
"Ah… Dammit. I want to go check on him now…" You frown worriedly. Tendo shifts, looking at the ground in thought, a small frown sitting on his lips.  
"I'm sure he'll be fine. Let's just try to enjoy ourselves in the meantime." Daishou pats your head softly.   
"Okay… Wow. There's really so many people now…." You comment.  
"Yeah, looks like it. Let's mingle while we have time- Oh! Kita-kun!" Tendo gasps in surprise, waving.  
"What a surprise. I thought I wouldn't know anyone other than Akagi." Kita smiles coming over.   
"You look well." Another voice sounds near your ear, making you pause and look over, meeting Suna's gaze.  
"RinRin!" You gasp hugging him.  
"Hey ___! Look who came along!" Akiteru chimes coming over with his little brother.   
"Tsuki!" You greet.  
"Don't call me that." Kei frowns at you.   
Along with them, you meet Unnan, Hoshiumi, Misaki, Hitoka. You try to commit the new additions to memory as everyone chats lightly before the room keys are passed out.  
"We'll see you when the game begins." Daishou rumbles as you and Tendo break away to one of the elevators.  
"Okay. Let's have fun." You beam with a wave. Tendo's quiet as you get on the elevator and ride up. "What's bothering you?"   
"Just worried about Wakatoshi." Tendo murmurs. "Last time he caught a fever he was having those nightmares." He frowns, checking his phone. "And we don't have any service in this area."  
"He'll be okay. My dorm mates will look after him." You assure, taking his hands and smiling softly. "Have faith." He meets your gaze and smiles back.  
"You look so calm, paradise. You're feeling a lot better now." He hums, kissing your cheek and relaxing. "Ha… You're right. Not much we can do for him even if we were there. Let's just hope everything is fine on that end." He smiles.   
The elevator stops and you both go out, soon finding the room and unlocking the door to go in. "Oh. We have a suite." You breathe, moving about and peering around, opening the closet. "More outfits too.."  
"Oh? Shall we match then?" He inquires, joining your side.  
"Yes!" 

*

"Twenty minutes before it comes on! I want ice cream! So I'll get us some." Rakurai chimes moving about swiftly to get his shoes on, little bolts of lightning dancing around him.   
"Alright, make sure ya discharge while yer out. If I get zapped again I'll drown ya." Death huffs, leaning away from him as he hurries past with a hum.  
"Aw. You don't like it Death-san? I love being zapped! It makes my heart race and flutter." Rakurai gushes.  
"I'm water based. So no…. Anyway ya need ta chill with that before yer heart explodes or something." Death frowns after him.   
"Awww it sounds like you love me~" Rakurai snickers teasingly.   
"Don't make me clobber ya." Death deadpans.   
"Heh. Alright. I'll be right back." Rakurai opens the door and steps into the hall, only to stop as a red fox stiffens nearby. They blink at each other before Rakurai's black chains suddenly seize the creature. "Death-san. We have a visitor." Rakurai says, carrying the struggling fox back into the apartment. Death blinks at the fox and gets up as flames burst off of it.  
"Don't tell me ya sniffed us out on yer own lad." Death frowns as the fox grows into his human form.  
"Not you. Tendo." Atsumu breathes. The villains pause before the chains suddenly tighten around him, Rakurai's sky blue eyes glowing slightly.  
"You need to die." Rakurai murmurs while Atsumu gasps for air.   
"Hold on Rakurai. Not without orders." Death tells him.   
"Heh… Hahah…. I fucking knew it." Atsumu chuckles, drawing their gazes to him. His brown eyes narrow, gaze to the floor before he lifts it to them. "Tendo's yer boss right? He's Midnight."  
"Death. We. Need. To. Kill. Him." Rakurai growls with grit teeth.   
"I said not without orders." Death snarls back dangerously, black liquid swirling up around him.   
"Then what do we do? We can't reach him. The twin will be here soon enough." Rakurai points out uneasily.   
"I'm flooding the block. We're relocating until we figure something out." Death decides, glaring at Atsumu. "Ya really put us all in a predicament lad." 

*

You hum lightly, playing with Tendo's hair as you both wait for the game to begin. "It's getting really long…" You breathe, fingers combing through his hair.  
"Is it? I'll have it trimmed soon then." He murmurs, content with his eyes shut, enjoying the attention.   
"Mm… Your bowl cut was cute." You recall, making him laugh lightly.   
"You think so? But I don't think that suits me right now… Should I let my hair down for the next game?"   
"If you want. I think you'll be handsome either way." You kiss his cheek. He hums blissfully and opens his eyes to peer into yours thoughtfully.   
"I love you…" He breathes.   
"I love you too." You chuckle, poking his nose. He blinks and sits up, leaning over and kissing you deeply.  
"More than anything else in the world." He whispers with a smile.   
A chime sounds, making you both look over as a hologram flickers over the table. 'You're both innocents. Work with the other guests to uncover the killers. Good luck!'  
"... Well, guess that works out. Gives us a chance to get to know the place." Tendo hums as you puff your cheeks in annoyance.  
"I haven't been a killer since the very first game…." You grumble as you get up with him.   
"Heh. All in due time mi amor." He chuckles, touching your back.   
"What's with the Spanish?"   
"I'm studying new ways to call you mine." He shrugs lightly.   
"Shouldn't be legal for you to be this sweet."   
You both leave the room in time to witness Mami and Unnan start to quarrel. You both blink before you chuckle lightly. "They kinda remind me of the twins." You comment to Tendo.   
"Certainly fight like them." He agrees before going over. "Now now you two, let's go down to meet up with the others."   
"Tch. He started it." Mami scoffs.   
"Come on, let's go." Tendo chuckles lightly ushering them onto the elevator as you follow behind in amusement. But as the doors close, everyone becomes silent and still. Either of them could be a killer, and they thought the same about you and Tendo no doubt.   
".... So how long do you think they'll have us play now?" You hum to try and calm the tension.  
"Guess it depends on how long the first round takes. I can't see us playing for more than two hours." Mami admits.   
"Is it just me or does this seem a bit more scary? I mean. So many places to kill. So many places to hide bodies. And now there's two killers… groups of three won't necessarily mean you're safe." Tendo hums in thought.   
He was not helping with the atmosphere at all, making the other two shift. Mami tenses slightly as the doors open up.   
"... Good talk." Unnan hums as everyone steps off. You chuckle slightly as you and Tendo move to join Daishou and Kiyoomi.   
"Heh. You look like you already brushed with death." Daishou teases.   
"I didn't know elevators could be more unnerving than usual." You frown, making him chuckle lightly.  
"Don't worry. We'll take the stairs during the game. Sounds good to you guys?" He peers at Kiyoomi and Tendo.  
"Yeah. But let's add two more to the group." Tendo waves down Kita and Suna, having them join the group too.  
"We should move before the lights go out." You tell them.   
"Right. What floor?" Daishou asks.  
"There's ten so… Let's go to eight." You hum.   
".... You realize we have to take the stairs right?" Daishou reminds gently as the lights go out. You tense as a ping sounds, feeling Daishou's tail wrap around your waist before the lights come back on. You look around to find Mami and Akagi down.   
"Two it is!" You gasp as your group rushes for the stairs.   
"We should split up and check the floor quickly." Kiyoomi says at the back of the group, keeping his distance.   
"How many to a group?" Kita inquires.  
"Two." Daishou smiles.   
"That's a bit dangerous." Tendo hums.   
"It'll be fine. If we do it this way and someone dies then we can pinpoint the killer faster." Daishou points out.  
"... You're taking a roundabout route just to steal my date away from me." Tendo comments.   
"Ah. Sorry. You and ___ can be on a team then. I'll be with Kita. Sakusa and Suna can be on the last team." Daishou assures.  
"If anything goes wrong then give a yell." Suna pokes you.   
"Why was that targeted at me?" You huff.  
"You just have bad luck." Kita states.   
"Mhm." Kiyoomi hums in agreement.   
"Is that an assumption that I'm going to die for being on ___'s team?" Tendo huffs.  
"From what I've seen, that happened the last three rounds." Daishou points out.  
"You were watching too?" You huff.  
"Mhm. Managed to watch the end of your killer round. It was different…" He nods, smiling thoughtfully. "Watching you was fun. I'm glad I get to join in."  
"Wish I had known. I would've liked to watch too." Suna comments.   
"... It's kind of embarrassing to think about now." You rub your cheek.   
"Don't worry about it. Just survive." Daishou releases you as the group reaches the second floor.   
"Come on paradise. Let's go check that room." Tendo points, taking your hand and guiding you into it. "Heh. Your boss can't help himself when you two are together."  
"Hm?" You peer at his amused face in confusion.   
"Taking charge. The tournament before the last, I remember him going along with instead of leading the team. He just seems like the type to overlook things. People really tend to change when you're nearby." He peers at you.  
"... Is that necessarily a good thing though?" You murmur.  
"I think so. They all seem happier." He points out. "I'll check this dresser."  
"Alright, I'll check the closet." You nod, moving to do so. You could at least trust Tendo here. You start to go through a suitcase in the closet when the lights go out. You instinctively freeze, stiffening slightly.   
"These killers really don't like lights." Tendo comments from near the bed. You chuckle at that and relax a bit. A few moments the lights come back on and you finish searching the suitcase and closet.   
"Nothing here. You find…" You turn around and freeze, finding Tendo slumped against the bed. "Hey. Now's not the time to play dead." You tell him lightly as you nudge him, only to make him fall over. The blood leaves your face as your eyes widen. You swiftly move into the hall, looking about uneasily. "Guys?"   
"What's wrong?" Kiyoomi pokes his head out of a room further down as Kita and Daishou leave a room nearby.   
"I…. Tendo's…" You point at the door as the group comes over to join you. "Did any of you leave the rooms when the lights went out?" You manage as Kiyoomi and Daishou peer into the room.   
"No." Kita and Suna assure as Daishou and Kiyoomi look at each other.  
"___… You didn't hear anyone?" Kiyoomi asks you.  
"No. Tendo made a comment during it and I laughed so I thought he was okay, but when I left the closet he was… Down." You frown.   
"... So either you did it. Or someone else came up here with us." Kita states with a nod.  
"I didn't do it! If I was the killer I would save him for last." You defend.   
"That sounds like something the killer would say to gain trust." Suna hums as he and Kita step away from you.   
"I believe ___ is innocent." Kiyoomi says simply.  
"Me too. Now that I'm focusing. There is someone else up here with us." Daishou breathes peering at another room.   
"If it's just one killer we can hold them off while someone gets the detective." Kiyoomi says as everyone else follows his gaze.   
"Okay." You nod while Daishou and Suna approach the door. You shift closer to Kiyoomi as they open the door and the lights go out again. You can hear a struggle before someone is thrown into you and Kiyoomi. The door to the stairs slams shut as the lights come back on.   
"Ow." Daishou huffs, rubbing the side of his head as you all sit up.   
"You okay?" You touch his back.   
"Yeah… But we lost Suna…" Daishou frowns at the other that was down, a dagger hilt sticking out of his chest.   
"RinRin…" You frown.   
"So there was another one here…" Kita breathes before helping you up. "Sorry for my suspicion."   
"That's okay. I know it looked bad…" You smile as the other two get up.  
"Think we're dealing with a pro here." Kiyoomi breathes.  
"So one of the ones from the train?" Daishou guesses.   
"Looks like it. Should we try to regroup?" You ask.  
"Nah. I don't think that killer will be back. Let's just hurry here. There's two more rooms to check." Daishou breathes.   
"Alright. Let's check that room ___." Kiyoomi breathes, taking your hand. Before the groups can separate, the elevator opens to show Kanoka, Saeko, and Hitoka.   
"Hey! Any luck?" Saeko waves.  
"No. We just have two more rooms on this floor." Daishou assures.   
"We just came from the first. I think the rest went up to four." Kanoka tells him.   
"Alright. We'll go to the third floor after this." Daishou decides.  
"We'll join you guys." Saeko decides, going over to join your team with Hitoka.   
"Eee! Someone died!" Hitoka gasps, pointing at Suna.  
"Yeah. We had a bit of a run in with a killer. They took out Tendo too." Daishou sighs.   
"Fast… They're up to six kills already… Akiteru and Udai were on the staircase when we tried to go up that way." Kanoka frowns.  
"They must've followed after us then." You frown.   
"Let's hurry. They only need twelve more." Daishou says before he, Kita and Kanoka go to the other room. Kiyoomi leads the rest of you into the other room to search for evidence.   
"Nothing… I'm not even sure what clues we're looking for. On the train they were pieces of an I.D…" You frown as you leave the bathroom.   
"I noticed some of the halls of empty frames. Maybe we're looking for picture pieces?" Saeko asks.  
"Oh good eye nee-chan." You smile.  
"What if one of the killers is among us? Right now?" Hitoka worries, backing into the corner as she looks at everyone fearfully.   
"... Calm down Yachi." Saeko says lightly, patting her head as you and Kiyoomi share a wary glance.   
"Well, there's nothing here, let's meet in the hall." He says leading you out. The two girls follow and you all wait in an uneasy silence for Daishou's group to come out.   
"We found a picture corner." Kita says, coming out and holding it up.   
"Doesn't give us any clues other than the wall paint in the picture." Daishou sighs.  
"... The floors are colored differently. Maybe it's a clue for a major piece?" You suggest. Daishou blinks in surprise before they all look at the color.  
"I think it's the third floor then." Hitoka nods.   
"Alright, let's get going." Daishou hums, leading for the staircase. Everyone follows close behind until the lights go out again. Hitoka lets out an alarmed scream but it's abruptly cut off, making chills go through you.   
The lights come back on to reveal Hitoka and Kanoka at your feet. The remaining ones step back swiftly at that.   
"It's you!" Saeko gasps with a point.   
"Wait. No. I didn't do this!" You gasp in alarm.   
"Well it wasn't us! They're at your feet! People keep dying in your group!" She points out hastily.  
"Sorry ___. I need proof that this isn't your doing." Kiyoomi breathes.  
"I don't have a weapon! Look-" You move to show them but freeze as a gun clicks. Your eyes slide to meet Kita's as he aims the gun at you.  
"Don't. Move. Saeko will search you." He says calmly.  
"I-I promise. It's not me guys." You manage.  
"Let Saeko search you and then we can discuss what to do after." Kiyoomi tells you. Saeko moves to do so but Daishou swiftly catches her arm.   
"Wait a second." He pulls her coat up from her hip to show a dagger clipped to her dress belt. "It was you."   
"Eh!? I'm not the killer! Someone planted that on me!!" She objects swiftly.  
"Kita. Shoot her." Daishou says quickly. "Hurry! Before she makes the lights go out!" In that moment, the lights flicker and Kita takes the shot.  
You swallow as Saeko falls to the ground. "Th-Thank you Daishou." You manage.  
"Heh. You're lucky I spotted that." He chuckles, giving you a hug. "Alright, with that cleared up, let's hurry. There's still one more killer. And they need ten now… Assuming the other hasn't been killed since they left." He rumbles, taking the lead again.   
"Right."  
With that your group soon reaches the third floor. Quickly moving to check the rooms. You and Kiyoomi in one and Daishou's team in a room across the hall. You move to the closet, searching a box and pausing as you come across a picture piece of someone's lips. A familiar smile. You narrow your eyes as you try to remember who's when you feel something fall to the ground outside of the closet and look back to see Kiyoomi down.  
"Kiyoomi!" You gasp, swiftly moving to his side and shaking him. "Dammit!"   
Kita and Daishou rush in at that, both stopping short. Kita steps forward, glancing about. "You said we were the only ones on this floor?" He glances at Daishou.  
"Yeah. It's just us… and I was with you across the hall." He nods.  
"Sorry ___.” Kita points the gun at you again.  
"It's not… Me." You manage. Daishou shifts behind him, a smile coming to his lips. The smile triggers in your head and your eyes widen. "KITA!"   
His eyes glint in understanding but it's too late as his eyes suddenly become dazed. He falls forward with the dagger in his back as Daishou calmly plucks the gun from his grasp.  
"You really should close the door after you enter a room. I had such an easy shot of Sakusa that I couldn't resist." He breathes as his tail retrieves the dagger. "Eight more to go." He smiles.  
You were stunned to say the least. His calm demeanor and how he had taken the lead put him off your radar completely. "Holy shit…" You murmur, making him chuckle.  
"Now how should I kill you?" He wonders, his words pulling you back into reality. You jump over the bed to get to the window, but he crashes into you, coiling around you as he takes his naga form. You struggle a bit, stopping as he lifts the blade to you.   
“Damn cheat…” You growl. He chuckles ruggedly in amusement.   
“I don't want to kill you, ___… So i have an idea. I’ll bring you with me… And you can watch me win this game.” He whispers against your ear.  
“You’re such a freaking sadist…” You breathe with a shiver as he pecks your neck.  
“Mmm… Maybe. But only to you.” He says, uncoiling from around you, but his tail stays wrapped tightly around your forearms and torso. He stands, lifting you up with his tail.   
“You killed Tendo then?” You guess unhappily, trying to free yourself, but there was little you could do in the air.  
“Mhm. I had to make sure everyone was looking away from me. You’re a great scapegoat. Everyone is kinda wary of your abilities.” He chuckles lowly.   
“... What about Saeko?”   
“She wasn't lying. I planted that knife on her just before the lights came on. Everyone has made this so easy.” He stops in the hallway and places his hand on the wall, becoming silent for a moment. “Ah. Four left… Feels like they're on the fifth floor.” he hums, taking you to the elevator and stepping on. He hums with the music as the elevator climbs up. You peer at his tail and his back, lifting your legs and pushing against him as you struggle again to get free. He peers back at you unphased as his tail simply tightens.  
“You're not getting away ___, the only one that could save you is gone now,” He shows off the gun pointedly. The elevator doors open to show Misaki, Hoshiumi, Kei, and Iizuna. They all blink at you and Daishou in surprise.  
“Run!” You shout as Daishou shoots Misaki and throws a dagger into Unnan’s chest. He pulls out another dagger, locking on Iizuna but you catch his arm with your legs in an attempt to save Iizuna, but Kei calmly buries a dagger into his chest. You freeze in shock, dropping your legs.   
“One more.” Kei’s golden eyes lock on you calmly.  
“Yep.” Daishou looks at the gun, watching the timer on it. “Five seconds.” He mutters.  
“Why wait? You have your dagger. Just end this.” Kei starts to approach with a frown. Daishou hums, looking at the dagger thoughtfully before throwing it into his accomplice's chest. Kei’s eyes widen in shock before he falls back unconscious.  
“What was that!? Daishou!” You demand in confusion.  
“It's simple really…” He sets you down, tail unraveling from around you. “I'm giving you a fighting chance. The only way for either of us to win is to kill each other.” He glances at the daggers pointedly. You blink and swiftly dive for the one in Kei’s chest. You can sense him take aim as you grab the dagger. No time left.   
You turn and throw the dagger as he fires, everything going black. Red letters painting your vision. ‘Killers win’  
When you come to, you find yourself propped against a wall and Daishou kneeling in front of you with his hands clasped in front of his face apologetically.  
“... How do you go from ruthless to puppy after we face off?” You ask him, raising an eyebrow.  
“I had time to reflect… Im sorry…” He murmurs in embarrassment.  
“Oh sure. Apologize to the one you didn’t betray.” Kei snorts.  
“Yeah Daishou. I’m fine. But what you did to him was kinda messed up.” You point out in amusement.  
“I didn't want him to interfere.”  
“Then say so. Don't just kill your partner.” Kei argues in annoyance.  
“Thanks for trying to save me ___, sorry I froze up…” Iizuna crouches next to you.  
“Eh, I tried at least.” You send him a smile before the elevator doors open and your group comes out.   
“Im sorry ___.” Kita frowns guiltily.  
“Well, the evidence was against me.” You assure.   
“You really are a cold blooded snake Daishou.” Tendo huffs.  
“Sorry guys… But how did I do?” Daishou looks to you sheepishly.  
“I'm really glad you're not a villain.”


	71. Murder Time (2/2)

"How are you feeling, my paradise?" Tendo cups your face, checking you over carefully.   
"I feel fine. Why? What's wrong?" You blink in confusion. He hums, thumbs gliding below your eyes.  
"It's getting dark here. Hopefully the next game is the last, so you can sleep." He hums with a small frown.   
"Yeah. I've been feeling a bit sleepy." You shrug it off. A few pings sound and you both look at his phone. "Sounds like you just got a bunch of messages.   
"A satellite must be passing over." He murmurs, grabbing it and looking at the messages. It wasn't very noticeable, but you can tell something makes him still. "It's a bit urgent. I think I'll go to the roof so I can send a response. I'll be right back." He kisses your cheek before going out briskly. You frown after him before checking the time. Ten minutes before the next game.

*

"Kenma. Do you see Tsumu anywhere?" Osamu leans on the back of the couch with a frown.  
"No. He hasn't come back." Kenma shakes his head.   
"He's still not back?" Iwaizumi huffs.   
"We should look for him." Bokuto stands, making everyone look at him. "Usually he'd make a big deal and try to get to where ___ is. But he didn't do that when Uzu came for Sakusa… Something's wrong." He points out with a serious frown.   
"Okay. Let's go. We're recording the episodes anyway." Nishinoya says getting up.   
"Alright. Make sure your phones are charged, we'll do a group messaging if we find him or anything else." Akaashi nods.   
"Just be careful everyone." Kuroo breathes.   
"I'll stay here. If anyone gets hurt let me know and I'll hurry to you." Kiyoko speaks up.   
"Alright. Let's find that troublesome fox." Oikawa says, leading them out. They all scatter in different directions to look for Atsumu.

*

A ringing phone interrupts the silent darkness, making Rakurai and Atsumu look to Death as he answers the phone.   
"Finally boss… Sorry about bothering ya on yer date but… Yeah…" He leaves the area carefully.  
Atsumu sniffs and sends Rakurai a glare. "Hmm? What? If you don't like the smell of this place then you shouldn't have tried to be Mr. Detective." Rakurai shrugs. "Trust me. I don't want to spend the night in some random room in the sewers either."   
"Mmf…" Atsumu huffs against the duct tape they had put over his mouth.   
"I guess I can take that off now since no one can hear you." Rakurai hums, smirking before ripping off the tape. Atsumu growls before glaring at where Death had disappeared.   
"Tendo! You lying bastard!" He shouts. Rakurai promptly slaps the duct tape back into place.   
"... I regret that. I'll stop being nice if you keep doing things like that." Rakurai sighs. Death soon comes back in, seeming paler than usual.   
"Ya damn fool Atsumu." He frowns uneasily.  
"We got the okay?" Rakurai perks up.   
"No… We're gonna do a bit of an experiment." Death brings out a blank pill bottle and shakes it lightly. "One pill is enough ta wipe out yer memory until it's triggered again. So what happens if we add a half pill?"   
"Oh…" Rakurai blinks. He looks at Atsumu with a small frown before pulling off the duct tape.  
"Is that his verdict? Go ahead. Wipe them." Atsumu growls, starting to smile. "___ and Osamu will get them back. And then I'll tell them all about yer precious boss. He ain't gonna win anymore."   
Death blinks at him before shaking his head and kneeling in front of him before meeting his gaze solemnly. "Lad. We're not setting ya loose. Yer gonna be one of us." Death breathes.   
Atsumu's eyes widen, a rare panic coming to them. "... No. Don't! I ain't one of ya! Sick bastards!" Atsumu shouts, struggling against the chains. Death calmly peers at Rakurai, who gives a nod before shocking Atsumu and making him cry out so Death can make him swallow the pill and a half.   
"Sorry lad… Time's up." 

*

"Everything okay?" You ask Tendo when he walks back in.   
"Mhm." He hums with a wave. "Nothing too concerning…" Somehow you doubted that, he seemed sort of uneasy now as he crawled across the bed to hug you softly. "I love you…" He murmurs into your shoulder.   
"I… Did you do something wrong?" You ask, feeling a little confused.   
"Don't worry about that…" He   
'Hello! The game begins in five minutes. And for our final game. You both have been elected to be killers! Your contacts are on the sink!' Uzu chimes, making you both look over just before he vanishes.  
"Finally." You breathe as Tendo gets up and stretches.   
"That's exactly what I need." He mutters before you both go into the large bathroom and retrieve the contacts, putting them in. You pause as the message 'Kill All Innocent' goes by.   
"Oh no… Tendo. 'All' means Kita too." You whisper. He pauses and blinks a few times.  
"Shit." He frowns.   
"I don't want to kill him. He's a sweetheart." You pout.   
"Alright.. I'll take care of him… And Sakusa. Because I have a feeling that you will hand him the game if I leave him to you." He assures.  
"Okay… Thanks." You hug him.   
"It's okay paradise." He assures, rubbing your back. "Now let's go get them." He rumbles, returning to normal.   
With a nod you both head out together and to the lobby where the game would begin. Everyone is already downstairs, some of your last group coming to greet you both.  
"Finally decided to come down and join us?" Suna hums.   
"Yeah sorry. Got a bit distracted." Tendo hums hugging you. "I mean. Look at my cute date! I just wanted to keep ___ all to myself."   
"Ah but you've had ___ all day haven't you?" Daishou huffs.   
"Not last round when you killed me as soon as you had a chance." Tendo huffs.   
"Yeah… Sorry about that. Couldn't resist." Daishou rubs his neck.   
"Now that everyone's here, let's begin. Before someone dies." Kiyoomi breathes.   
"Yep. I'm heading off." Daishou waves starting off.  
"Eh? You don't want to be in a group?" You blink.  
"Nope. I only grouped up last time since I was the killer." He waves before disappearing upstairs.  
"The game might last longer if we move in smaller groups." Kiyoomi comments.   
"Then may I partner with ___?” Kita asks.   
"Sure. It's the last round so I'll share." Tendo smiles, nudging you to him.   
"Sounds good to me." You nod. 'No! Dammit Tendo! I don't want to kill him!' You inwardly curse.  
"I'll go with Kiyoomi and RinRin." Tendo decides cheerfully.  
".... I'm sorry. Only ___ can call me that." Suna informs him as Kita takes the lead to the elevator.   
"Let's start at the top and work our way down." He says as you both step on when the doors open.   
"Okay… I'll trust you." You hum as the doors close. He smiles a bit at that.   
"Are you having fun?" He inquires lightly.   
"Yeah. Having you guys here made it even better." You admit.   
"Good…" He tilts his head, eyes trailing to your hand as he touches it, moving it so he can look at the ring quietly. You shift slightly, watching his face as it becomes thoughtful. "Tendo sure likes to be selfish with you. Makes me want to steal you too."   
"... Eh?" You manage in surprise.   
"You haven't chosen anyone right? So I still have a shot." He smiles, tilting his head thoughtfully.  
"Oh… Are you sure you want to?" You tilt your head with a small frown.   
"Yes. I think you're amazing… Plus, grandma won't leave me alone because she wants you to be a part of the family…" He trails off with a small blush, looking down.   
"Heh… Alright then. I love your grandma anyway." You chuckle sheepishly, scratching your cheek.  
"I'm glad." He breathes before checking the floor dial above the doors. "Almost-" The lights go out and the elevator stops.   
"Ah…" You stiffen a bit, holding onto his arm. "I don't like this… What if it falls?" You murmur. This certainly wasn't your doing. Was this Tendo signaling you to kill? Because it wasn't happening!   
The warmth of Kita's hand coming over your cheek makes you pause and blush as his lips find yours in the pitch black.   
"It's okay. I'm with you." He whispers.   
"Ah…. You made my heart flutter…" You breathe. He chuckles softly at that.   
"Good. Means you liked that." He murmurs as the lights come back on and the elevator continues. You relax a bit, giving him a playful nudge as the doors open.   
"So we're looking for picture fragments again right?" You decide to play along until another innocent was within killing range.   
"Seems so… I'll admit. I decided to trust you before the round began since I felt guilty about last round. Now I'm sure I can trust you." He smiles a bit. You blink and peer at him.   
'Ah… Dammit.' You close your eyes feeling a wave of guilt. "Yeah. Me too."   
So you both start searching the rooms for clues. After the third room, you hear a ping from the elevator and peer out to see Hoshiumi and Misaki. You give a slight wave when they spot you before ducking back into the room. An air vent lights up when your eyes pass over it. You close the door before opening it up to find a wooden box containing some ninja stars.   
"Don't have much practice with these but alright." You mutter, easing them into your coat. You close the vent as the door opens and Misaki peers in.   
"Anything?" She asks, easing in with Hoshiumi.  
"Nope…." You peer at them as you turn to go out the door. You reach the hall glancing about. Did Kita know they were up here? You step back into the room, making alarm rise to their features. You lunge forward, dagger going Hoshiumi's throat before stabbing Misaki in the chest as she opens her mouth to scream. They both go down and you straighten up, sheathing the dagger and locking the door before stepping back out and closing the door behind you.   
"___, I found a picture piece. Just a shoulder though." Kita says leaving a room and looking at the piece carefully. "It sort of looks like the same coat Tendo was wearing."   
"Let me see?" You move to his side to peer at it. "Hmm… Maybe. I think Akagi went with a black coat too." You tell him. "So there's two possibilities, should be fine as long as we avoid them."  
"Sounds good… I thought I heard one of the others up here with us?" He peers about.   
"I did hear the elevator go off but I haven't seen anyone. Could be one of the killers though, we should go." You tell him. He nods and you both move onto the elevator to go down to nine.   
The doors open up to show Tendo and Kiyoomi waiting. "Ah. This floor is clear." Tendo smiles as they step on. Kita carefully shifts closer to you as they click the button for eight. You and Tendo lock eyes for a moment. Kiyoomi catches it and straightens.  
"Shit." He hisses just before the lights go out. You feel Kita slump against you and carefully lower him to the floor as Kiyoomi and Tendo struggle. The lights quickly turn back on and the doors open making them both roll out. You move to follow but the elevator doors close quickly.  
"Come on Tendo…" You frown, glancing back at the downed Kita as the elevator starts for six. You swiftly click for seven to get off first.   
Meanwhile Kiyoomi was keeping Tendo's dagger away from his chest with grit teeth.  
"Come on Kiyoomi. Let us win." The redhead smiles.   
"Sure. Just answer me this." Sakusa pushes Tendo's neck back with an ungloved hand. "I've always been careful around you. So why are you immune to my toxins?" He hisses out.   
Tendo pauses, eyes darkening a bit. "That's nothing for you to worry about Kiyoomi." He whispers with a smile tossing up the dagger before pinning Kiyoomi and letting the dagger come down, sinking into Kiyoomi's eye. The redhead sighs, relaxing and taking the dagger before getting up, looking down at the other male. "Another fray…. My tapestry of lies is starting to unravel." He whispers, wiping his cheek. He frowns heavily, eyes narrowing as tears rise up for a moment before he forces them back down. "I might have to let go of ___ soon."   
You step out on seven, checking the rooms quickly, listening for voices or movement. You stop at a laundry shoot that was labeled for laundry room 2 which is on the fifth floor. You open it, hearing voices below.   
The elevator draws your attention as it pings, swiftly taking out the ninja stars as the doors move to open. You glance at the lights, blinking twice to make them go out as you throw the stars. There's two thuds before the lights return and you find Mami and Akagi down in a heap with Kita as the doors close again to go up.   
You frown heavily at that. "... My weapons…" You sigh, searching about for another weapon box. After a quick search through the rest of the rooms, you find another box but this one has a hatchet in it. "I was hoping for a gun but this will do." You breathe, hooking it to the loop inside your coat. You go back to the laundry shoot, peering in again. 'I've always wanted to do this….' You think putting your legs in before carefully starting your descent.   
Took a little longer than you wanted to get within five feet of the opening to the laundry room. Then you heard the voices coming into the room and freeze. They grow louder and louder until you can almost clearly hear Saeko and Akiteru with a few others. You shift slightly, taking out the dagger warily. 'Don't look in here… Don't look in here…'   
"Did anyone check the shoot?" Hitoka asks.   
"No. I got a flashlight so I'll check." Kanoka says. You swallow, a slight panic rising to your chest as the shoot door opens. The flashlight beam travels up to your feet and you just drop as she peers in, the dagger coming down on the center of her forehead. You grab her shoulder pushing her back so you have room to flip over her head as you rip out the dagger.   
Time felt like it had slowed as you start to land, throwing the dagger into Akiteru who was behind her and releasing the hatchet, tossing it at Saeko to the right of you. Your feet touch down and you quickly retrieve the weapons as Hitoka screams in horror.   
Turning about you swiftly throw the dagger at her, it lodges into her throat and you catch sight of Udai as he swiftly turns for the door and runs out as you throw the hatchet after him. It misses, burying itself into the wall.   
"Ah dammit." You swiftly rush after him, retrieving your weapons along the way and cutting around the corner as he reaches the elevators as one opens. A dagger flies out, hitting him in the temple and taking him down as you instinctively jump in surprise.  
"Paradise. Are you piling bodies in the elevator? Kinda grisly." Tendo hums stepping off and collecting his dagger.  
"Phew. I thought he was going to get away…." You sigh in relief. "And I didn't mean to. The doors closed before I could get them out." You tell him as he moves to join you.   
"These elevators do seem to have a mind of their own… I think there's a dance hall on this floor too. Can I interest you in a dance?" He smiles warmly, kissing the back of your hand.  
"Right now?" You blink in confusion.  
"No time like the present my dearest." He rumbles, guiding you past the laundry room and stopping as he peers in. "Wow." He sends you a smirk.  
"... I panicked." You murmur. He chuckles and hugs you, kissing your cheek.  
"I love you." He hums. "Unnan and Komori were on the eighth floor. So we have four more to go."  
"No detective yet." You frown as you think over the remaining ones before scowling. "Why do I get the feeling that the detective is Daishou and he's waiting for us to find him." You sigh.   
"That's a hell of a guess." He chuckles.  
"I sense it Tendo. The snake hiding in the shadows ready to lash out and sink his fangs in." You shiver.   
"... You say that. But I wonder if you would actually mind that." He hums. You pause in surprise, feeling your face flush.   
"... What the hell Tendo?!" You gasp, covering your face.  
"I'm just saying. Your relationship with him is on another level." He snickers at your embarrassment.  
"Shut up! Where did that even come from!?" You squeak out, making him laugh more.  
"Such a cute reaction you're having. Did your mind go to the gutter?" He teases as you both enter the large spacious room, only lit up by the moonlight.   
"Stop it!" You cover his mouth, cheeks starting to ache from their reddened state. "Shush!"  
"You two sure seem to be having an interesting conversation." Iizuna comments standing near a piano as Tsukishima and Shirabu search about the room.  
"You hush too!" You point at him in embarrassment.   
"Sorry. I'm just riling ___ up a bit, look how cute this red face is." Tendo snickers, poking your cheek.   
"Stop flirting and focus on searching." Shirabu huffs.  
"Okay okay. Sorry." Tendo hums to him, sending you a wink.   
'Wait. All three of them? Right now?' You wonder as his hands move under your coat. He kisses your temple, starting to hum as you grab the dagger hidden against his back.   
"Found something…" Shirabu stands to light the picture piece in the moonlight. He visibly tenses and you swiftly throw the dagger at him as he looks at you, the dagger getting his eye.   
"Sorry Shirabu!" You gasp, wincing slightly from the sight as Tendo spins around you, throwing your weapons after the other two. He doesn't miss a beat as the other two go down, taking your hand and pulling you into a waltz.   
You chuckle a bit at his cheerful humming as you two dance for a few moments, ignoring the bodies in the room. Eventually you both come to a stop and he pecks your lips lovingly.   
"The final kill awaits. Do you want to go together?" He inquires.  
"... Kind of. But I don't know where to find him." You frown.   
"Hmm… this floor and the ones above were clear… Where would he be? You know him better than me." He points out. You pause and hum, closing your eyes for a few moments.   
"... He's definitely nearby then. He was probably following us once we took out half…" You look to the doorway, breaking away from him to collect your weapons. Tendo blinks, head tilting curiously as he watches your back. You straighten up, peering about before suddenly turning to Tendo as he looks back to find Daishou right behind him. Daishou's tail flicks out with Tendo's dagger, doing through Tendo's neck.   
"Heh. I'm so happy you know me so well." Daishou smiles, pointing the gun at you as you throw your weapons. He fires as you dive out of the way, the dagger and hatchet reaching his chest in that moment, and he goes down.   
"Geezus…" You sigh holding your chest as you hit a knee. After a few moments, Daishou and the others sit up groggily.   
"Damn snake." Tendo huffs at him.   
"Your fault for being so focused on your waltz." Daishou flicks out his tongue with a chuckle.  
"I knew we should've left when you two came in here." Tsukishima scoffs, getting up.  
"I had just gotten the piece with ___'s eyes." Shirabu growls in annoyance.   
"I knew it was a big clue with how you reacted…" You huff getting up.  
"___!” Saeko cries out when her group enters the room. "What was that!? You were like a bat out of hell!"   
"Kanoka scared me." You defend with a point.  
"So you killed everyone!?" Saeko huffs.   
"I was dead before I realized what was going on." Akiteru sighs.  
"I'm going to have nightmares about ___." Hitoka shivers.   
"Sorry." You frown.   
"I knew I was dead when the elevator doors opened… What bad luck." Udai sighs.  
"It really was." Tendo chuckles. Mami, Akagi, and Kita soon join. You avert your gaze from Kita as he looks at you.   
"Which one of you sneaks killed us on the elevator?" Akagi huffs.   
"Me…" You raise your hand quietly. "I didn't kill Kita though. I couldn't."   
"Heh. I suppose I'm happy to hear that." Kita smiles a bit.   
"Yeah. Sorry Kita, I didn't want to either." Tendo rubs his neck. "I'll give you one of my prizes."  
"You don't need to. This was fun… Where's Sakusa though? I thought he died in the elevator too." Kita peers about.   
"No. I was able to keep him at bay until we hit the eighth floor." Kiyoomi responds, coming in. He peers at Tendo briefly before looking at you. "I knew the moment you looked at each other something was up…. Seems like you both are a good team with that win."  
"Eh. Daishou almost got us in the end." You toss your boss a smile. He chuckles lightly, giving you a wink in response.  
"You really have a thing for final showdowns." Kiyoomi comments to him.   
"Yeah. And hiding in the shadows… Ready to lash out and sink my fangs into someone." Daishou smiles devilishly and you turn red, going over and hugging Kiyoomi as Tendo laughs in amusement.  
"Wow. You really were following us close." The redhead snickers as you hide your face in Kiyoomi's chest.  
"They're picking on me…" You grumble.  
"You two leave ___ alone." Kiyoomi huffs in amusement, hugging you.   
"You're so red you look purple in this lighting." Kita pokes your neck. "What were you guys talking about?" He peers at the other two curiously.   
"No Kita!" You gasp, covering his ears quickly.   
"Don't worry. I won't say. It'll be more fun if I draw it out." Daishou hums, tail swishing behind him.  
"Definitely." Tendo chuckles.   
"Devil… And Tendo, I know where you're sleeping!" You point at him.   
"Yep. Beside you. My favorite place to be~" He chimes happily. "Let's go to bed." He adds, scooping you up into his arms. His and Kiyoomi's eyes lock for a second before he carries you out and to the elevator. You hug Tendo's neck, cheek rubbing against his.   
"Why do ya seem tense?" You murmur.   
"I'm just tired…" He turns his head and presses a kiss to your cheek. "Like I thought. You and Daishou really are close… I think an agency run by you two will easily become number one. He's really good for you… Him and Kiyoomi. If something happens to me. I know you're in good hands." He breathes, getting on the elevator.   
You blink at him, thinking over his words carefully before opening your mouth and biting his cheek.   
"Ow!" He gasps.  
"Don't give me that shit! You're not leaving me! I'll find you Tendo! As many times as I need to I will come after you dammit!" You snap at him. He blinks at you in surprise before softening, a small sad smile coming to his lips.  
"I'm not going to leave you again paradise." He whispers.   
"Good." You huff, relaxing a bit. "Then why are you saying things like that?"   
"Just thinking." He assures.   
"Mhm…" You frown doubtfully. He meets your gaze, becoming thoughtful.  
"Can we talk about everything tonight? Like we used to when we were kids?"   
"Sure. Sounds like fun."  
"Good."

*

"He's not waking up." Rakurai frowns as he and Death look over Atsumu.   
"It's been pretty long…." Death breathes worriedly. "We should try ta get ta the other headquarters. Hook 'im up to the machine." He whispers. A splash echoes the sewers, followed by a loud call.  
"ATSUMU!" The shout reaches them with an echo.   
"Osamu's here. The others will probably risk a fight down here." Rakurai tells him.   
"Let's move out now." Death nods, sending out a water surge to force Osamu out as they hurry through the tunnels with an unconscious Atsumu. They reach an outlet, going through and glancing back.  
"Wait. We're going to the one in Nohebi?" Rakurai blinks.   
"Yeah. Safest bet for us. Come on, the river's this way." Death hurries for it. He felt like all hell would break loose if they didn't get to it now.   
Rakurai pauses, glancing at the sky. "Death-san!" He shouts the alarm, chains coming out just before Bokuto crashes into Death.   
"Tch." Death hits him with a burst of black water.   
Bokuto flips back, landing with a glare. "Give Atsumu back."   
"Nah. We took a liking ta the lad. We're gonna make him one of us." Death smiles.   
"What gives you the right to decide that? Don't you dare rip his dreams away like that." His tone, the snarl in his voice, the glow of his golden eyes manages to send a shiver through the villains.   
Rakurai and Death share a glance. "Sorry." Death murmurs before stomping his foot, black water erupting from the sewer, circling around them as the white's of Death's eyes turn black.   
"Akaashi's probably nearby. Let's move." Rakurai hisses. Death nods and they both rush for the river, the water circling until the crackling of ice sounds, freezing it. Rakurai's chains swiftly break through the ice so they could hurry on. Silver chains rip through the ice after them, grabbing Rakurai. Death stops, looking back worriedly. "Keep going! I can get away. Just get Atsumu out of here."   
"Like hell I'll let you." Iwaizumi leaps over the ice, flaming fist slamming down for Death. A black chain wraps around his calf and tosses him back as Rakurai sends an electric surge through Oikawa's chains, freeing himself. He and Death rush the river, nearing it as blue light comes over their backs.   
"He's here!" Rakurai gasps.   
"He's too late." Death says, the water of the river rising up and crashing into their pursuers. Death and Rakurai escape underneath with Atsumu in tow.   
"TSUMU!" Osamu shouts at the river, about to dive in but Kuroo and Bokuto swiftly pull him back. ".... Brother…"   
"I'll fly over it and check the outlets. They can't stay in there forever." Bokuto says before taking flight.   
"Sorry. I couldn't get a clear shot." Akaashi says jogging up.   
"I had him…" Oikawa hisses.   
"Dammit." Iwaizumi growls.   
"Don't worry. We know who has him. And once ___ returns. We'll go after them, and get Atsumu back." Kuroo assures.   
"Right." Some nod in agreement.  
Osamu says nothing, glaring at the water in distraught.   
"Come on. If Bokuto spots them he'll let us know." Kuroo touches his back.   
"... This river goes through this whole state… They could pop out anywhere with that quirk." Osamu breathes, starting to shake. "Are you sure we'll be able to get him back before something happens?"  
"... No. I'm not." Kuroo states. "But. That doesn't mean there's no saving him. We'll find a way to fix this. We'll save him. Nothing else for us to do besides what we need to do. Right?"  
"... Right."


End file.
